2020-2021 Waitlist Support Thread

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KnightDoc said:
I dunno. Maybe say that as Memorial Day approaches you are hoping they might see their way clear to giving you a realistic appraisal of your chances of being called off the WL so you can meet external deadlines to make a decision regarding your plans for the upcoming year? They'll probably tell you to sit tight if they haven't told you anything so far, but, maybe a kind soul will show you some mercy and give you a peek into where you stand. It's certainly not unreasonable to ask.
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Thank you! This is also the school I did my MS at so I’m hoping they will be more willing to share.
 
Hey y'all, I have a question. I applied this past cycle as an ORM with a mediocre GPA and pretty good MCAT and received 2 MD II and 1 WL. The school I am on a WL for is frankly my last choice and given my strong performance in the SMP I did this year, I truly think I can get into a school that is further up my list. I have also had conversations with the med admin director at my SMP school who echoed this sentiment. My question is, do you all think I should request that I be taken off the WL? Is that a thing? I do not intend to apply to that school next year. I doubt there is much chance I will be accepted off the WL anyways but it is always lingering in the back of my mind and I would like to move on full speed ahead for this next cycle.

FWIW, a good friend of mine who I really trust says I should stay on the WL. She is probably right but I would like to get a second opinion haha
 
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ILoveMyDawg said:
Hey y'all, I have a question. I applied this past cycle as an ORM with a mediocre GPA and pretty good MCAT and received 2 MD II and 1 WL. The school I am on a WL for is frankly my last choice and given my strong performance in the SMP I did this year, I truly think I can get into a school that is further up my list. I have also had conversations with the med admin director at my SMP school who echoed this sentiment. My question is, do you all think I should request that I be taken off the WL? Is that a thing? I do not intend to apply to that school next year. I doubt there is much chance I will be accepted off the WL anyways but it is always lingering in the back of my mind and I would like to move on full speed ahead for this next cycle.

FWIW, a good friend of mine who I really trust says I should stay on the WL. She is probably right but I would like to get a second opinion haha
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If you REALLY don't want to go to this school, you should withdraw from the WL, rather than risk receiving an A and then being in the position of maybe turning it down and being asked about that next year. OTOH, if you're just annoyed right now and would attend if given the opportunity, then stay on it and see what happens.
 
KnightDoc said:
If you REALLY don't want to go to this school, you should withdraw from the WL, rather than risk receiving an A and then being in the position of maybe turning it down and being asked about that next year. OTOH, if you're just annoyed right now and would attend if given the opportunity, then stay on it and see what happens.
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Thanks for the reply! That's the thing, if I am accepted I am going because in my understanding, turning down an acceptance can be really bad if schools find out. So that decision of what happens if I am accepted is already made for me.

I guess my real question is, apart from that particular school, would withdrawing myself from the WL hurt me for next years cycle?
 
ILoveMyDawg said:
Thanks for the reply! That's the thing, if I am accepted I am going because in my understanding, turning down an acceptance can be really bad if schools find out. So that decision of what happens if I am accepted is already made for me.

I guess my real question is, apart from that particular school, would withdrawing myself from the WL hurt me for next years cycle?
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Not at all. It won't come up, so no one will know. You won't be turning down an A -- you'll be withdrawing before you had a chance to receive one.

The reason it is ill advised is because you've already come this far, so, if they accept you, you can spare yourself having to go through this again, so why not let it play itself out? OTOH, if you think you will actually want to turn down the A and go through another cycle, withdrawing before you receive the A is definitely the way to go.
 
chimcfriedchicken said:
When I applied last cycle, I was figuring things out on the fly and improvising. Like, I didn’t know **** about primaries, secondaries, interviews all of that... all while preparing for my MCAT (which I took in June of last year) and finishing up my undergrad thesis etc. remotely. It was a lot. Like I didn’t even know if I was gonna have a good enough MCAT to apply!! And I still managed to do it! I think of the ways I’ve really grown this year in terms of the app but also otherwise. I moved back home due to COVID disrupting our dorms, managed to live with my toxic ass parents, and set a workout routine which I basically never had in undergrad. While I’m obviously sad I couldn’t get in, I realize that I’m in a MUCH BETTER position this time around. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about this process along the way which I never had last year. I’ve identified potential areas of weakness like perhaps not having a strong enough “narrative” or story in my PS, or perhaps not coming off as personable in my interviews. I’m researching alternate careers. I’ve been thinking of writing the LSAT because law school doesn’t have interviews 😂😂 and I can try to pass off my hard science degree as an interest in patent law LMAO. I decided to cut my losses and get excited for the future and get working once again — no matter how demoralized I had been feeling! Imma just hold off on putting any schools on my AMCAS until July 1 though because still holding out that tiny sliver of hope and don’t want to spend another 3 thousand dollars if I don’t have to 🤣
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Hello friend,

I’m so proud of you for taking this past application cycle in stride. I’m sure just as anyone else, you have been through significant struggles. The world has been in a tumultuous state since this pandemic began. Those applying to medical school have not been exempt from the very real trauma this virus has imposed on all of us. I’m so, so proud of you. I’m so excited to see where the future takes you in all your endeavors. ☺️ Much love! ❤️
 
KnightDoc said:
Not at all. It won't come up, so no one will know. You won't be turning down an A -- you'll be withdrawing before you had a chance to receive one.

The reason it is ill advised is because you've already come this far, so, if they accept you, you can spare yourself having to go through this again, so why not let it play itself out? OTOH, if you think you will actually want to turn down the A and go through another cycle, withdrawing before you receive the A is definitely the way to go.
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@KnightDoc, will schools know that you turned down an A from the previous cycle?
 
DelineSan said:
@KnightDoc, will schools know that you turned down an A from the previous cycle?
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Not from AMCAS, but some of them actually ask on secondaries, in which case you are then faced with lying on secondaries if you don't want to disclose. MUCH cleaner to avoid the situation if possible!
 
Microbe_Hunter said:
Bro r u me?? We have like the same stats... im still very demoralized and am having a hard time coming to terms with reapp. My app got a little bit better but I didn’t really pick up much nonclinical volunteering which may hurt me.. idk its still rlly hard for me to break out of my funk. I walk around all day moping and hoping for an acceptance to end my misery. Ik its unhealthy but i cant help it
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Hello,

I'm sorry to hear about the precarious situation you are in. It sounds like you've put in an immense effort to be stuck in this limbo! 🙁. However, please don't lose hope! I'm certain you did the best you could when applying this cycle. There is still time! Given you've already done it once, reapplication should be a lot easier, too, if it comes down to it. Please know your self-worth depends on far more than just your acceptance to medical school. You are a beautiful and unique individual, and deserve to love yourself unconditionally. Are you prioritizing self-care at this time? Please run, jump, do exercise of any kind, meditate, laugh, give hugs, get hugs, vent, etc. Take this time to pursue any passions outside of your career path! Happy to provide any support to you at this time. I'm not a certified mental health professional, but worked for a year as a counselor at an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Please do reach out to a therapist or other mental health professional if you feel that would help. Sending you all the love and support in this world! ❤️
 
Microbe_Hunter said:
Bro r u me?? We have like the same stats... im still very demoralized and am having a hard time coming to terms with reapp. My app got a little bit better but I didn’t really pick up much nonclinical volunteering which may hurt me.. idk its still rlly hard for me to break out of my funk. I walk around all day moping and hoping for an acceptance to end my misery. Ik its unhealthy but i cant help it
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Sadly, "hope" is not an adequate strategy. As @gonnif often states: you are considered rejected until you get an acceptance. This is most relevant now as we reach the final stages of the current application cycle. Accept that you will need to reapply, and decide whether you are best served by reapplying this year vs the next. If you plan on reapplying this year, start working on it now.

If you are among the lucky ones to be pulled off waitlist at the last minute, that will be a pleasant (and welcome!) surprise. And if not, at least you are entering this new cycle with your best foot forward, instead of rushing to submit a less-polished application at a later date. Just my thoughts
 
Do you guys think it’s dumb to email admissions to see if the class is currently full??
 
ILoveMyDawg said:
Thanks for the reply! That's the thing, if I am accepted I am going because in my understanding, turning down an acceptance can be really bad if schools find out. So that decision of what happens if I am accepted is already made for me.

I guess my real question is, apart from that particular school, would withdrawing myself from the WL hurt me for next years cycle?
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Theoretically, it should not hurt you because other schools won’t know. I guess the only ‘red flag’-ish thing that may get brought up is if you reapply to the same school you are WL’d at because they will know you withdrew previously
 
swiftcoffeemed said:
Do you guys think it’s dumb to email admissions to see if the class is currently full??
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Nope, that's what I did. Then they sent a mass email out saying they won't be accepting anymore people. Granted, my school starts soon so they don't expect any more movement. Idk about schools who start later though.
 
Does anyone have any tips on emailing waitlisted schools you're at about an upcoming CTE deadline at your current A? I'm not really sure how to go about it but if anyone has any advice it would mean a lot. <3
 
swiftcoffeemed said:
Do you guys think it’s dumb to email admissions to see if the class is currently full??
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Yes. All classes are currently full. Believe me, the only people more interested in the classes being full than you are the adcoms and the deans of admissions, whose jobs depend on their ability to fill a class without overfilling it! 🙂

The better question, which is the one you really want answered anyway, is what are the prospects for additional WL movement?
 
Chromatica said:
Does anyone have any tips on emailing waitlisted schools you're at about an upcoming CTE deadline at your current A? I'm not really sure how to go about it but if anyone has any advice it would mean a lot. <3
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There is no magic here. Unless and until they have a spot, they can't make any representations to you, and you certainly can't give up your bird in the hand for the slim possibility of maybe receiving a call from a preferred school in the future.

If you feel a need to do anything, the only thing you can do is tell them how much you love them, but that you'll have to withdraw on June whenever if you don't hear by then due to the CTE deadline at your current school. It's not going to provoke movement that wasn't going to happen anyway, but at least you'll know you've done all you could, and you've left the ball in their court.

Just keep in mind that you are not unique, and that the vast majority of people with As do exactly what you are going to do when you CTE and withdraw. It sucks for people in your position, but just about all of the last minute WL movement goes to people with zero As who remain on WLs after everyone like you has already withdrawn.
 
Anybody who's on one or more WLs who has an A already but would prefer all their WL schools more? Trying to figure out when I should begin planning housing and moving and all that. I don't want to not think about it at all, because it's currently a likely reality that I'll attend my A, but I also don't want to lead on potential roommates or get too invested and then dip out... anybody have guidance or advice on this? Thank you!
 
veggiepremed said:
Anybody who's on one or more WLs who has an A already but would prefer all their WL schools more? Trying to figure out when I should begin planning housing and moving and all that. I don't want to not think about it at all, because it's currently a likely reality that I'll attend my A, but I also don't want to lead on potential roommates or get too invested and then dip out... anybody have guidance or advice on this? Thank you!
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You are literally describing everyone who is still on at least one WL and is holding an A! 🙂

Your desire to do the right thing is admirable, but you also need to be realistic and worry about yourself. It's 5/25 -- the odds are very high that the school you will be attending is the one where you hold an A. If it makes you feel better, reach out to the WL schools to try to find out when or if you will be called, and then do what you have to do to make plans to attend the school where you currently have an invitation.
 
veggiepremed said:
Anybody who's on one or more WLs who has an A already but would prefer all their WL schools more? Trying to figure out when I should begin planning housing and moving and all that. I don't want to not think about it at all, because it's currently a likely reality that I'll attend my A, but I also don't want to lead on potential roommates or get too invested and then dip out... anybody have guidance or advice on this? Thank you!
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Yes, this is all of us with A's.

Edit: I have already signed a lease at my current A, so I'm obviously planning on attending there. I'm not sure what I'd do at this point if I got in off the WL, but I consider it unlikely.
 
KnightDoc said:
There is no magic here. Unless and until they have a spot, they can't make any representations to you, and you certainly can't give up your bird in the hand for the slim possibility of maybe receiving a call from a preferred school in the future.

If you feel a need to do anything, the only thing you can do is tell them how much you love them, but that you'll have to withdraw on June whenever if you don't hear by then due to the CTE deadline at your current school. It's not going to provoke movement that wasn't going to happen anyway, but at least you'll know you've done all you could, and you've left the ball in their court.

Just keep in mind that you are not unique, and that the vast majority of people with As do exactly what you are going to do when you CTE and withdraw. It sucks for people in your position, but just about all of the last minute WL movement goes to people with zero As who remain on WLs after everyone like you has already withdrawn.
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Thanks for the insight. If my CTE is June 15, do you think June 1 is an okay time to send these emails?
 
Chromatica said:
Thanks for the insight. If my CTE is June 15, do you think June 1 is an okay time to send these emails?
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Absolutely! Do you happen to know when their CTE deadline is? I ask because the final real trigger for WL movement is people not selecting CTE when they are supposed to, for whatever reason.
 
KnightDoc said:
Absolutely! Do you happen to know when their CTE deadline is? I ask because the final real trigger for WL movement is people not selecting CTE when they are supposed to, for whatever reason.
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Well, I am currently on 5 waitlists 🤣 and the CTE dates are as follows: 6/15, 7/1, 7/1, 7/6, and 7/14. Seems like it's not looking too good because my current A has the earliest CTE of the 5. 😢
 
Chromatica said:
Well, I am currently on 5 waitlists 🤣 and the CTE dates are as follows: 6/15, 7/1, 7/1, 7/6, and 7/14. Seems like it's not looking too good because my current A has the earliest CTE of the 5. 😢
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Yeah, this is bad -- your A school will be the first to have movement caused by a CTE date (by the way, it's not much, if any, because virtually all PTEs do convert to CTE). Unfortunately, the WL movement at your schools will be caused by you withdrawing on 6/15.

The only good news here is that you still have 3 weeks for something to happen. There is also always a chance that someone will respond to your e-mail by letting you know whether you are very close to being called.
 
I read somewhere that the only way WL movement will occur now is if an accepted student requests to defer matriculation or if a criminal background check catches something that the student previously did not disclose. Is it possible that some students may be holding onto multiple A’s even now or is that simply false? I’m not sure if the AAMC strictly enforces this or if it’s simply “recommended.”
 
One of the schools I’m waitlisted at does not want me to apply to either AACOMAS or AMCAS until I hear back from them (they’re a D.O. school). Anyone have a similar issue?

Literally have everything ready for both applications, but also don’t want to upset one of my WL schools if they somehow find out I submitted my intial application.
 
Blue Lion said:
One of the schools I’m waitlisted at does not want me to apply to either AACOMAS or AMCAS until I hear back from them (they’re a D.O. school). Anyone have a similar issue?

Literally have everything ready for both applications, but also don’t want to upset one of my WL schools if they somehow find out I submitted my intial application.
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Idk about AACOMAS, but there is no way that school will know if you submit your AMCAS since it’s a DO
 
fogo said:
I read somewhere that the only way WL movement will occur now is if an accepted student requests to defer matriculation or if a criminal background check catches something that the student previously did not disclose. Is it possible that some students may be holding onto multiple A’s even now or is that simply false? I’m not sure if the AAMC strictly enforces this or if it’s simply “recommended.”
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Yes. AAMC does not enforce anything. Enforcement is entirely up to the schools. Believe it or not, some schools do NOT require the use of PTE, so some people can definitely still be holding more than one A. They are exposed at the CTE deadline for their non-preferred school, which then opens up a seat.

Movement can also occur if someone is called off another WL. It is happens, although less than a few weeks ago. Remember, people who have been receiving calls typically have at least a week to decide, and they often ask for and receive extensions, especially while awaiting fin aid decisions. Movement is still happening. Just not with the intensity of a few weeks ago. Also remember that SDN is a TINY subset of the population, so a lot more movement is happening than is reported here.
 
Julatteluver said:
Idk about AACOMAS, but there is no way that school will know if you submit your AMCAS since it’s a DO
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Actually, now that you mention it, my friend has a similar issue:

She applied MD, got five waitlists, still waiting on them, but some schools also told her not to submit her AMCAS until she heard back. Would there be any way for said schools to know that she submitted her primary?
 
Blue Lion said:
One of the schools I’m waitlisted at does not want me to apply to either AACOMAS or AMCAS until I hear back from them (they’re a D.O. school). Anyone have a similar issue?

Literally have everything ready for both applications, but also don’t want to upset one of my WL schools if they somehow find out I submitted my intial application.
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Upset THEM???? I've never heard of that before. Why on earth would they care whether or not you go to the trouble and spend the money to start another application when they haven't yet made you an offer, around a year after you first applied to them?

TBH, if you think you have a better application now, you should consider withdrawing from their WL and taking your MD shot. If anything, that's what they are afraid of, and you should do it rather than allowing them to intimidate you into delaying your application while making no promises to you!
 
Blue Lion said:
Actually, now that you mention it, my friend has a similar issue:

She applied MD, got five waitlists, still waiting on them, but some schools also told her not to submit her AMCAS until she heard back. Would there be any way for said schools to know that she submitted her primary?
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Only if she submits it to them! 🙂
 
KnightDoc said:
Upset THEM???? I've never heard of that before. Why on earth would they care whether or not you go to the trouble and spend the money to start another application when they haven't yet made you an offer, around a year after you first applied to them?

TBH, if you think you have a better application now, you should consider withdrawing from their WL and taking your MD shot. If anything, that's what they are afraid of, and you should do it rather than allowing them to intimidate you into delaying your application while making no promises to you!
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TBH, we’re both multiple time re-applicants (this is my third time, for her, the fourth…), and also the first time either of us got interviews. We don’t want to take ANY risks that would worsen our chance of getting off the waitlist.

But you’re saying for both AACOMAS and AMCAS, no school would be able to know if we applied to next year’s cycle unless we applied to them directly? Only the D.O. school said this to me, but I’m just scared of re-applying overall so that none of the schools I’m WL’d at get upset at me.
 
Blue Lion said:
TBH, we’re both multiple time re-applicants (this is my third time, for her, the fourth…), and also the first time either of us got interviews. We don’t want to take ANY risks that would worsen our chance of getting off the waitlist.

But you’re saying for both AACOMAS and AMCAS, no school would be able to know if we applied to next year’s cycle unless we applied to them directly? Only the D.O. school said this to me, but I’m just scared of re-applying overall so that none of the schools I’m WL’d at get upset at me.
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Correct! I am not familiar with AACOMAS, so hopefully an expert like @Goro can advise you on that, but I know for sure that AMCAS does not share anything about your application with anyone other than your advising office if you grant the appropriate permission, and with the schools you are actually applying to.

Also, remember that even though with AMCAS you can submit on 5/27, nothing will go to any school until 6/25 at the earliest. I honestly would not allow fear of a school that has not yet accepted you being upset to delay a reapp that is otherwise ready to go.

The school can address the situation at any time by accepting you, which would cause you to withdraw your reapplication. Otherwise, you REALLY owe them nothing here, and should NOT delay an application that is otherwise ready to go. Just don't send it to them until after they have sent you a final decision.
 
phoeib said:
Thank you! can I ask if you went through amcas or had your recommender send it right to the school or both? I dont want to submit it myself because I dont want to seem sketchy but I want to make sure they see it
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When I emailed both schools to ask, one said to submit through AMCAS and the other said through AMCAS or by having the recommender email their admissions email. Just don't send it yourself or anything like that because it's both sketchy and implies that you could've read the letter which you waived your right to do earlier on in the process.
 
Blue Lion said:
One of the schools I’m waitlisted at does not want me to apply to either AACOMAS or AMCAS until I hear back from them (they’re a D.O. school). Anyone have a similar issue?

Literally have everything ready for both applications, but also don’t want to upset one of my WL schools if they somehow find out I submitted my intial application.
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@Blue Lion, there is no harm to you in waiting just a few weeks before resubmitting. If your WL school takes you, you won't have to submit again. You can submit immediately after hearing from your last school if you gain no admissions.
 
just got rejected from my only WL 🙁 tbh I'm not not upset since I was expecting it and am ready to reapply since I've added a ton of stuff this last year! hopefully my stronger app will yield better results this cycle. good luck to all of y'all still on waitlists! i believe in y'all!!!!
 
n=1 but I was accepted off the WL of an MD school today. I was shocked since my interview went horribly, my app was an awful fit for the school, and it was the only WL I didn’t send a letter of interest/intent or thank you letters to. I’ll be withdrawing my spot since my current A is a better school for me, but it’s crazy how random this process is lol. I even forgot I was WL here.
 
godzillamd said:
n=1 but I was accepted off the WL of an MD school today. I was shocked since my interview went horribly, my app was an awful fit for the school, and it was the only WL I didn’t send a letter of interest/intent or thank you letters to. I’ll be withdrawing my spot since my current A is a better school for me, but it’s crazy how random this process is lol. I even forgot I was WL here.
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Pro tip: f$&! everything up. Get A

😝 but really though, congrats...that is an awesome success story ☺️
 
godzillamd said:
n=1 but I was accepted off the WL of an MD school today. I was shocked since my interview went horribly, my app was an awful fit for the school, and it was the only WL I didn’t send a letter of interest/intent or thank you letters to. I’ll be withdrawing my spot since my current A is a better school for me, but it’s crazy how random this process is lol. I even forgot I was WL here.
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Any chance you can say what school it is?
 
godzillamd said:
n=1 but I was accepted off the WL of an MD school today. I was shocked since my interview went horribly, my app was an awful fit for the school, and it was the only WL I didn’t send a letter of interest/intent or thank you letters to. I’ll be withdrawing my spot since my current A is a better school for me, but it’s crazy how random this process is lol. I even forgot I was WL here.
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Proof that things are still happening, even though activity has slowed down and it feels that they aren't. Thanks for the data point!!!
 
KnightDoc said:
Proof that things are still happening, even though activity has slowed down and it feels that they aren't. Thanks for the data point!!!
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Maybe most of the applicants aren’t here.
Aren’t waitlists supposed to pick up in June as well?
 
stardocscream said:
Maybe most of the applicants aren’t here.
Aren’t waitlists supposed to pick up in June as well?
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Most applicants aren’t here; it’s expected that SDNs represent anywhere from 5-15% of the whole pool depending on the school. But I think the WL movement was also fairly abnormal (also school dependent but at least my three schools absolutely had way less movement). June wave is way smaller than the May wave for WL
 
Julatteluver said:
Most applicants aren’t here; it’s expected that SDNs represent anywhere from 5-15% of the whole pool depending on the school. But I think the WL movement was also fairly abnormal (also school dependent but at least my three schools absolutely had way less movement). June wave is way smaller than the May wave for WL
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That is simply scary. So WL movement might be scant?
...and I doubt the competition is going to decrease.

If MD is scant, then DO might be scant. Oh boy.
 
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