2020-2021 Waitlist Support Thread

[retro2021]

Creating a thread for the 2020-2021 WL crew. Please let me know if one already exists.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mel0099]

Can we start by listing which schools have started pulling from the WL? I think a few DO schools have but other than that I'm not sure

 

[lalano1230]

Do waitlisted applicants get an email for background check this early?
Currently I'm on 2WL (one that happened back in December and one that happened early this week) and I'm waiting to hear back from one more school.

Yesterday morning I got an email requesting for certiphi background check.. I feel confused because I was also on 3 WL last cycle (not the same schools as this year except one) and I did not receive any request for certiphi background check even during the summer time..

 

[Vikingbear16]

Sending support to all the WL homies <3

I'm 2/2 as of now

 

[eartharte]

Same, 2/2 and still waiting to hear back from an interview I had mid-december

 

[Tron814]

Sitting on 4 WL, possibly 5 soon. Hoping April/May is gonna be HUGE.

 

[456432]

Sending support to all the WL homies <3

I'm 2/2 as of now

Same, 2/2 and still waiting to hear back from an interview I had mid-december

+1

It really sucks. I'm hearing rumors that there will be more WL movement this year because virtual interviews allowed more top-tier candidates to go to all their interviews. But I'm not sure if everyone's just saying that to make us feel a bit better lol

 

[deleted1066189]

Had one state MD II, but sitting on 7 interview waitlists/holds currently. Really not sure what to expect

 

[EDThoracotomy]

I'm on a couple WLs right now. Anxious to see when movement starts.

 

[EDThoracotomy]

+1

It really sucks. I'm hearing rumors that there will be more WL movement this year because virtual interviews allowed more top-tier candidates to go to all their interviews. But I'm not sure if everyone's just saying that to make us feel a bit better lol

That would be the dream haha. WL is the ultimate purgatory. I have a new MCAT score that will be posted so I'm hoping that can move me up the list.

 

[EDThoracotomy]

Sitting on 4 WL, possibly 5 soon. Hoping April/May is gonna be HUGE.

Will this into existance

 

[almosttaro]

have 2 WLs and waiting to hear back from one interview i had in mid december ((
this feeling rly sucks.
does sending a letter of intent help? or should i just wait till april?

 

[EDThoracotomy]

have 2 WLs and waiting to hear back from one interview i had in mid december ((
this feeling rly sucks.
does sending a letter of intent help? or should i just wait till april?

I think it depends on the program. Would probably look really bad to write a letter when they ask to not receive them haha.

 

[adrummingdog]

Currently on 3 DO WLs where my stats are well above median. Feels bad man. Waiting for the texas match to find out about my other 4 interviews so im holding out hope.

 

[HockeyAndBanjos73]

Any one else trying to be optimistic in hoping for some WL movement around Feb. 19th?

 

[mvsrocks]

Any one else trying to be optimistic in hoping for some WL movement around Feb. 19th?

WL movement is usually around April/May, but who knows this year

 

[456432]

Any one else trying to be optimistic in hoping for some WL movement around Feb. 19th?

What's special to cause WL movement on Feb 19th? Do any particular schools have WL movement that early?

 

[HockeyAndBanjos73]

What's special to cause WL movement on Feb 19th? Do any particular schools have WL movement that early?

Hopefully this is accurate of how schools start to view WL applicants after the 19th...

 

[KnightDoc]

View attachment 328885
Hopefully this is accurate of how schools start to view WL applicants after the 19th...

It's not!!!

PTE is not binding, can be changed at any time, and has not and will not dictate WL movement anywhere. The only thing that does that is accepted candidates turning down their As, which can happen at any time, but does not have to happen until 4/30, when the protocols that most schools follow require you to reduce to one A. That's why the bulk of WL movement happens in April/May.

February 19th is nothing more than wishful thinking. Just look at the school specific threads for the past two years. The current system went into effect in 2019.

 

[deleted1054719]

View attachment 328885
Hopefully this is accurate of how schools start to view WL applicants after the 19th...

Unfortunately, many schools have a PTE deadline that is a few weeks after Feb 19th so I'd be surprised if >50% of people use the tool at that point. The 19th is just when the AAMC releases the CYMS tool to accepted applicants.

 

[KnightDoc]

Unfortunately, many schools have a PTE deadline that is a few weeks after Feb 19th so I'd be surprised if >50% of people use the tool at that point. The 19th is just when the AAMC releases the CYMS tool to accepted applicants.

Do any schools actually have a deadline before 4/30?

 

[456432]

So just to clarify, if there is WL movement let's say around end of February, that is only due to accepted students withdrawing their A's?

Will a school have WL movement that early even if the held acceptances outnumber final class size by a good amount? (e.g. 200 acceptances sent by late Feb for a class of 100 come Fall time)

 

[EDThoracotomy]

This is also purely for allopathic programs right?

 

[medigal97]

The reality of having to do this "multiple waitlist, wait until deep into the summer and attempt to hold out hope" thing for the second year in a row is absolutely soul crushing

 

[KnightDoc]

So just to clarify, if there is WL movement let's say around end of February, that is only due to accepted students withdrawing their A's?

Will a school have WL movement that early even if the held acceptances outnumber final class size by a good amount? (e.g. 200 acceptances sent by late Feb for a class of 100 come Fall time)

Well, I guess there could also be movement if they put people on the WL prematurely and then they decide after finishing their interviews that they like some of the people on the WL more than the people they still haven't given decisions to, so they pull some people from the WL, but this doesn't usually happen. That's what post-II holds are for.

The way it generally works is like this -- schools estimate yield based on their prior experience, and give out As based on this. It can be as little as 1 A for every seat, and as high as 2 or 3 As for every seat. Whatever it is, once they set the number, they don't usually pull from the WL unless they KNOW they are going to have available spots. I guess if a lot of people drop out early, they could start pulling from the WL while they still have more As outstanding than seats, but there is really no reason to do so.

In general, you are just not going to see significant WL movement in February. Also, keep in mind that a lot of schools aren't even finished with the first round of As by then. The AAMC protocols call for schools to issue at least one A for every seat by 3/15, so there really is no impetus for a school to move someone off the WL until they are done issuing As, which could be as late as 3/15. Again, this could change if some people on the WL are stronger than people in the final interview groups. In that case, they could receive an A without anyone dropping one, because they could take an A that was held back for later interviewees.

Once you have your WL, it is generally expected that you won't see movement until April/May, so there is just no incentive for the school to risk being oversubscribed by pulling prematurely from the WL. I'm not an adcom, so take this with a grain of salt, but I have been watching for the past two years, and this is what I've seen. Again, your best bet would be to read through the prior two years' school specific threads for the schools you are interested in. This will tell you exactly what kind of WL movement to expect, and when.

To directly answer your question, once a school issues 200 As for 100 spots, it won't start pulling from the WL until outstanding As dip below 100. If this were not the case, they could have just given more As and fewer WLs up front.

 

[KnightDoc]

This is also purely for allopathic programs right?

Yeah. DO is totally different. It has a later cycle, with large non-refundable deposits that cause a lot of people to not hold multiple As, so their WL movement will be different (i.e., people will drop As much earlier than MD because they don't want to hand out multiple $1,000+ non-refundable deposits, so those schools probably have more, and earlier, WL movement as they continually lose people to other DO and especially MD schools before having to pay the deposit).

 

[HockeyAndBanjos73]

It's not!!!

PTE is not binding, can be changed at any time, and has not and will not dictate WL movement anywhere. The only thing that does that is accepted candidates turning down their As, which can happen at any time, but does not have to happen until 4/30, when the protocols that most schools follow require you to reduce to one A. That's why the bulk of WL movement happens in April/May.

February 19th is nothing more than wishful thinking. Just look at the school specific threads for the past two years. The current system went into effect in 2019.

Optimistic was the key word in my original post

To clarify, I am aware the majority of movement happens much later, but the one school that I am waiting to hear from regarding WL has had movement in late February the last two years. Here's to hoping for early movement for EVERYONE on this thread. Good luck to all!

 

[KnightDoc]

Optimistic was the key word in my original post

To clarify, I am aware the majority of movement happens much later, but the one school that I am waiting to hear from regarding WL has had movement in late February the last two years. Here's to hoping for early movement for EVERYONE on this thread. Good luck to all!

If they had movement then for the past two years, there's no reason to think it won't happen again this year. If anything, people ARE cautiously optimistic that there will be more WL movement this year due to the fact that fewer top tier candidates likely turned down fewer IIs this year since it was easy to accept virtual IIs (i.e., they will scoop up more As that they will ultimately have to turn down).

 

[FluffyCat1212]

Deferred at one of my top schools, which is essentially spicy waitlist. Can I join the party?

 

[MEngland226]

2 WL, 2 ii's waiting to hear back. Waiting..... This should be a four letter word.

 

[almosttaro]

Well i just heard back from my last interview and now i am on 3 WLs. and no more interview I don't know how i could pull myself together for another cycle.

 

[456432]

Just want to say, you all will be wonderful physicians. We'll look back on these days when we were stressing about WLs and realize it was part of a bigger plan. Hopefully WL movement is insane this year.

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

If it makes anyone here feel any better, I just got rejected by the second school to send me an interview invite. The other school also gave me a post-II R.

Sigh

 

[gljj]

Hey guys. I got put on two WLs in the past week (one of them being at my top choice school, and the other at a school in which it's basically a soft R). I'm beyond bummed about it because I really thought my interviews went well. Actually, I also have one post-II R but that was at a school way out of my league so I wasn't even upset about that lol. Interviewed at another school recently and won't hear back until March at the earliest, but I don't think my interview went that well. I'm aware how lucky I am to have two more interviews coming up later this month, but I just feel so much dread... I'm guessing my interview skills aren't good enough and idk if I'll be able to improve them enough in time. Sorry for being so negative, I really needed to vent.

 

[kds27]

I’m on one waitlist, and have no interviews coming up rip

 

[CRISPRgrl]

Do you guys think that based on metrics available on Feb 19th that some schools might be sending out more interview invites if their numbers are lower than expected? Can anyone who applied last cycle weigh in on this? I have yet to hear back from a few which have already gone through large rejection/hold waves so I'm wondering if there is a specific time schools might be waiting for, probably hopeful thinking though lol

 

[Quil98]

Currently on one WL at the only school that offered me an interview. And this school historically has bad waitlist movement. Studying for the MCAT again has been really killing my spirit, praying that I get off this waitlist. Just gotta stay strong I guess

 

[Doglover6900]

2 interviews, 2 waitlists. My third application cycle and am absolutely crushed. I feel like I prepared as much as I could've, I honestly don't know what more to do. Took my MCAT in 2018 and if I have to reapply AGAIN, it will expire at some schools. Feeling very hopeless.

 

[Talldoctor96]

Do you guys think that based on metrics available on Feb 19th that some schools might be sending out more interview invites if their numbers are lower than expected? Can anyone who applied last cycle weigh in on this? I have yet to hear back from a few which have already gone through large rejection/hold waves so I'm wondering if there is a specific time schools might be waiting for, probably hopeful thinking though lol

I promise you that med schools are not basing anything on FEB 19 metrics. At this point were thinking about how many interviews we've done any how many acceptances we given and we have that information.

 

[CRISPRgrl]

I promise you that med schools are not basing anything on FEB 19 metrics. At this point were thinking about how many interviews we've done any how many acceptances we given and we have that information.

Ok very fair I appreciate the input! Just grasping onto any hope at this point

 

[Almosthere771]

Are we expecting a lot of waitlist movement, especially for this strange cycle?

 

[Talldoctor96]

Are we expecting a lot of waitlist movement, especially for this strange cycle?

No one has any idea what’s gonna happen

 

[Almosthere771]

No one has any idea what’s gonna happen

What do you think?

 

[eartharte]

Officially on 4 waitlists out of 4 interviews, still waiting to hear back from a VITA interview and then I actually have another interview today but they informed us that they probably won't get back to us until mid-March. I'm just getting frustrated because I feel like my app is clearly good enough to get me a substantial number of interviews, but what am I doing during these interviews that isn't getting me an acceptance right away?

I'm still holding onto hope that those waitlists will turn into acceptances, but now I'm definitely considering other options for gap years :/

 

[Talldoctor96]

Officially on 4 waitlists out of 4 interviews, still waiting to hear back from a VITA interview and then I actually have another interview today but they informed us that they probably won't get back to us until mid-March. I'm just getting frustrated because I feel like my app is clearly good enough to get me a substantial number of interviews, but what am I doing during these interviews that isn't getting me an acceptance right away?

I'm still holding onto hope that those waitlists will turn into acceptances, but now I'm definitely considering other options for gap years :/

Getting an interview and getting accepted are 2 very different things. At my school interviews are based on 2 individual reviews. Then you get your interview score (2 people), then your whole file is reviewed by 3 people and they each give a final score which is averaged out. Then with your total score, you go to a committee of 20 who vote on you straight up. So its just two very different things.

 

[deleted1064759]

Hi Everyone,

I was listening to Mr. Essman's podcast with Dr. Flavia Nobay (admissions dean of Rochester) and it seems [some] schools (Rochester, at least) like to receive LOIs to pick students off the WL. Therefore, I'd probably send a LOI around the end of April/May when WL movement really starts picking up. This is pure conjecture, as no one really knows the thought process of all the adcoms, but it seems that schools are WLing more than usual this year and anticipate more WL movement in general. Furthermore, there is a strong sentiment among applicants with multiple IIs to attend them all this year so I think LOIs become especially valuable in that regard.

It makes sense too from an admissions perspective -- wouldn't it be easier to pick someone off the WL who you know will attend because they sent a LOI, rather than some other applicant with multiple acceptances?

Here is the podcast and other podcasts from Mr. Essman. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly when she talked about WL movement in that long episode.

I hope this information is useful and I'm rooting for y'all! The waiting and loss of control is the worst part of this process .

 

[deleted1064759]

So should you just send an LOI to every school your WLed at? I feel like that kinda defeats the purpose right?

Just your top choice, not all of them.

 

[cardiology4life]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know approximately how long a WL is for some schools? I'm waitlisted at CHSU-COM and hoping I get off it

 

[cardiology4life]

Currently on one WL at the only school that offered me an interview. And this school historically has bad waitlist movement. Studying for the MCAT again has been really killing my spirit, praying that I get off this waitlist. Just gotta stay strong I guess

Hang in there I'm in the same boat

 

[howdidienduphere]

Just got my second WL at a school that's notorious for no WL movement. Still waiting to hear back from three more interviews but they're all at very low-yield schools.