2020-2021 Waitlist Support Thread

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blobfish22 said:
I'm rewriting my PS for sure, but was planning to edit only the work/activities that changed since I last applied. After reading through this thread I'm not so sure. Is it a bad look to keep work/activities the same?
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Why would you want to apply with an app that got you rejected from every school you applied? When I reapplied I tried to improve every single word I could in every single section.
 
Tbh, I think the keypoint for reapplying is that do whatever you are comfortable with. Yes re-writing is strrrrrongly recommended for reapps, but you know yourself the best and if either GPA or MCAT was the limiting factor, then improving your scores dramatically will surely help you for future app cycles. Everyone’s situation is unique and SDN will continue to recommend what is usually recommended
 
Are you all applying to one school while you wait to be verified/hear back? I feel like this makes the most sense economically but wanted to make sure I’m not missing something..

Also, my overall mcat percentile dropped from last year to this year (section percentiles the same🤔) 😭😭😑life is going great in 2021!! Who’s with me?
 
INDIGO5362 said:
Are you all applying to one school while you wait to be verified/hear back? I feel like this makes the most sense economically but wanted to make sure I’m not missing something..

Also, my overall mcat percentile dropped from last year to this year (section percentiles the same🤔) 😭😭😑life is going great in 2021!! Who’s with me?
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Yes...

But when it becomes 6/25 do we add the schools we are waitlisted at...?
 
juicemed said:
Yes...

But when it becomes 6/25 do we add the schools we are waitlisted at...?
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Only if you want to be in the first batch applying to them. 🙂

Seriously, why not? If anything, it shows commitment. There is no way they are going to look at next year's applicants to decide what to do with this year's WL. By 6/25, most if not all movement will be over at most if not all schools. There is no reason not to do it.
 
I’m in the DO waitlist camp at the moment…and I do have other plans if I don’t get in.

However, is it pretty much over for WL movement? I’m feeling kinda doomed at this point.
 
Honestly it does seem like WL movement is grinding to a halt. Preparing to submit my primary this week.
 
Quil98 said:
Damn knighdoc why apply to medical school when you're already a surgeon? Ripped that guys heart out like one 😭
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Yeah, my bad. Sorry to disappoint, since I realize I am known for my extremely verbose posts.

I guess I was just a little cranky because this EXACT question was asked and answered on the previous page on this very thread. I realize utilizing the search feature is a skill that takes some a lifetime to master, but, I do remember being advised as part of the SDN welcome material to make liberal use of it. So every once in while, I lose patience when someone decides it's so much easier to post the same question over and over rather than spending a few minutes checking to see if maybe they aren't the first person ever to wonder about their topic, and then choose to just succinctly answer the question asked. 🙂

KnightDoc said:
If by wave you mean a few schools having some movement, then sure. 🙂

It's worth keeping in mind that the PTE wave is caused by literally thousands of people giving up excess As all at the same time (within a few days of each other). Any so-called CTE wave, by contrast, is nothing more than a tiny trickle caused by a few outliers, spread across schools all over the country, holding more than one A and failing to select CTE when expected to do so.

At most schools, the CTE deadline will come and go with a very disappointing thud, with the final few PTEs converting to CTE when their WL dreams don't come true. It is, however, the final realistic trigger for movement this cycle. After that, it really is just people not showing up to orientation for whatever reason.
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KnightDoc said:
I guess I was just a little cranky because this EXACT question was asked and answered on the previous page on this very thread. 🙂
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Welcome to the world of pre-med advising. Imagine how @Catalystik must feel, and yet they never get their fur in a fluff!
 
gyngyn said:
Welcome to the world of pre-med advising. Imagine how @Catalystik must feel, and yet they never get their fur in a fluff!
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Fur wasn't in a fluff. I just gave an atypical one word answer. 🙂

To be fair, I did come back, own it, and link to my prior extended answer post!!
 
gyngyn said:
I didn't know that knights even had fur...and there's nothing wrong with a one word answer (usually).
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I agree, but, as you know, that's not my style, and I was called out for it! 🙂
 
Hey all, does anyone have any thoughts on William Carey, (I'm iffy on the school placed on the waitlist but am pretty high and certain I will be pulled) I am on three other waitlists as well, but I am considering withdrawing my app even if it would be my only acceptance this cycle.
 
poly_123 said:
Hey all, does anyone have any thoughts on William Carey, (I'm iffy on the school placed on the waitlist but am pretty high and certain I will be pulled) I am on three other waitlists as well, but I am considering withdrawing my app even if it would be my only acceptance this cycle.
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I'm not sure this is the right thread to name and ask opinions on a specific school, especially if you are not looking at it favourably
 
I got accepted yesterday you guys 😭

A few weeks ago I was getting feedback on my app from a school that rejected me (which I was really curious about since I have a Masters degree) and the admissions coordinator said “maybe you should think about nursing or OT school instead of medicine”. I cried after that call but even after all that I’m still going to be an MD 😭💕
 
Some posts were deleted.
Call outs are neither kind nor respectful.
We are here to support each other. Each in our own way.

...and there is a handy "ignore" function that can allow you to block any members you find annoying!
 
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Being a reapplicant is nothing to be ashamed of. I proudly share it to anyone who asks or if it ever comes up. This is the hardest process in academia, if anything I believe it proves my resilience. In my second cycle I: saved my relationship, got to spend time with my family, traveled, started reading again, learned how to cook. Not to mention, I interviewed at schools I couldn’t have dreamed of the first time. Yes it was hard, but I just finished my first year of medical school and couldn’t be happier. One more year to end up in the right place has left me very happy.
 
modmedmph said:
I got accepted yesterday you guys 😭

A few weeks ago I was getting feedback on my app from a school that rejected me (which I was really curious about since I have a Masters degree) and the admissions coordinator said “maybe you should think about nursing or OT school instead of medicine”. I cried after that call but even after all that I’m still going to be an MD 😭💕
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Congrats! Def interesting the span of time too bt those 2 things. Crazy how life is. You’ll do great things future doc!
 
Hi,
I know previously most of you agree that waitlist movements after CTE date is very less, but I was wondering if a school had like 205 CTE and their incoming class last year was 210. Aren’t they inclined to take 5 extra from the waitlist at that point? Or at The start of the cycle the adcom has a goal of 210-215 based on last years numbers, so they would want to take off waitlist after CTE to match the goal instead of being satisfied with the smaller number. Curious to see your thoughts.
 
PokemonTransformer said:
Hi,
I know previously most of you agree that waitlist movements after CTE date is very less, but I was wondering if a school had like 205 CTE and their incoming class last year was 210. Aren’t they inclined to take 5 extra from the waitlist at that point? Or at The start of the cycle the adcom has a goal of 210-215 based on last years numbers, so they would want to take off waitlist after CTE to match the goal instead of being satisfied with the smaller number. Curious to see your thoughts.
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It's more likely that the combination of CTE's and PTE's adds to the desired class size. If it is much larger, the school might take advantage of the "PTE" clause and let the excess go.
If there are 205 CTE's and 5 PTE's, the office might contact the PTE's and have them confirm. Additional acceptances may be needed if they don't confirm on the CTE date.
 
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PokemonTransformer said:
Hi,
I know previously most of you agree that waitlist movements after CTE date is very less, but I was wondering if a school had like 205 CTE and their incoming class last year was 210. Aren’t they inclined to take 5 extra from the waitlist at that point? Or at The start of the cycle the adcom has a goal of 210-215 based on last years numbers, so they would want to take off waitlist after CTE to match the goal instead of being satisfied with the smaller number. Curious to see your thoughts.
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You are absolutely correct. The adcom has a number it needs to hit, and it issues as many As as it needs to in order to hit the number.

The thing is, all schools are at that number now. WL movement occurs when someone drops out. The CTE deadline is the final opportunity to drop out, other than just not showing up after telling them you would. If a school has a class size of 210 and has 205 CTEs at its deadline, they will, indeed, admit another 5 people off the WL, and will make as many calls as they have to in order to hit that number.

Edit: @gyngyn is right about PTEs. It's just that failing to select CTE by the deadline is a pretty important thing to just forget, so, I'm assuming they are dropping the school and just didn't have the courtesy to let the school know. Whether the school reaches out to them or not, if they haven't CTEd by the deadline, their seats are probably available.

The point is, while it's possible, it doesn't happen often. What happens is that people who haven't yet CTEd are holding out for a WL school of their own. When they don't get it by the CTE deadline, they CTE. Very few seats actually end up opening up after CTE deadlines.
 
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KnightDoc said:
It's just that failing to select CTE by the deadline is a pretty important thing to just forget, so, I'm assuming they are dropping the school and just didn't have the courtesy to let the school know.
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...and yet it has happened every year.
 
DougtheDog said:
It ain’t over till it’s over
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True.

It is demoralizing though as you see others get snatched and you're left waiting at the phone.

...but such is this WL life, I suppose. It is that uncertain fear - you work so hard and it gets dashed at the last moment.
 
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It's my birthday week, so I'm sending positive vibes and hoping that all you lovely folks on this thread will receive an acceptance email and/or phone call this week! It's a stressful time, so try to keep your head up and stay positive in this process!
 
thehippiestudent said:
Can you elaborate on what you mean by this?
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Before CYMS, we had to guess who was coming based on where they were holding acceptances.
Now we know that for any given date, a certain number of CTE's and PTE's will add up to a predictable class size.
Before CYMS, it was common for waitlist movement to be brisk through June. Poaching of students was common. Now, all that has changed.
There has been almost no poaching at all and CA CTE dates are (mostly) still over a month away.
 
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gyngyn said:
Before CYMS, we had to guess who was coming based on where they were holding acceptances.
Now we know know that for any given date, a certain number of CTE's and PTE's will add up to a predictable class size.
Before CYMS, it was common for waitlist movement to be brisk through June. Poaching of students was common. Now, all that has changed.
There has been almost no poaching at all and CA CTE dates are (mostly) still over a month away.
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So I guess the stability in class size expectation would also mean no or less movement in June/early july?
 
Julatteluver said:
So I guess the stability in class size expectation would also mean no or less movement in June/early july?
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Yup. It's a vicious circle Catch-22.

In the old days, schools were very comfortable over accepting, because they could see where everyone held As, so they could predict yield with a high degree of accuracy. AAMC took that away in 2019, and replaced it with CYMS.

As you know, now schools cannot see where people hold As, or even if they hold As, unless they are reported as PTE or CTE. As a result, schools have been much more conservative from 2019 forward in over accepting. Fewer As translates to fewer people holding multiple As, which translates into fewer multiple As being dropped, and, consequently, less WL movement that apparently plays out sooner after 4/30 than it did in the past.

In addition, CTE is a thing now whereas before it wasn't. In the past, there was no "protocol" against accepting students that were committed elsewhere, because there was no CTE indicating such a commitment. If schools start poaching other schools' CTE students today, all hell would break loose with last minute movement, so schools are apparently avoiding violating the protocols they agreed to.

As a result, the tiny bit of WL movement at the end now goes exclusively to people not holding other As, so it is far more orderly than before, with no cascading effect, as CTEs have been kicking in across the country since the beginning of June. I doubt you'll see a single person reporting being off a WL after CTEing, even if they don't remove themselves from the WL.
 
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faze_contusion said:
I only had 1 II, which translated to a WL. Would it be a bad idea to reach out to this school to ask for feedback, given that it is already June 15 and there has been little to no reported WL movement (only 1 person on SDN reported getting off of the WL)? Its highly unlikely I'll get in at this point, and this school can provide me with the most valuable feedback as I interviewed there and the adcom extensively reviewed my app. Would this sort of email essentially close any doors for WL -> A?
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I think they may not do so as your application is still considered active, but it couldn't hurt to ask.
 
Exocus said:
I think they may not do so as your application is still considered active, but it couldn't hurt to ask.
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Some schools also have a policy of not discussing or individually reviewing applications. Don't do what I did and forget to look it up before emailing lol
 
faze_contusion said:
I only had 1 II, which translated to a WL. Would it be a bad idea to reach out to this school to ask for feedback, given that it is already June 15 and there has been little to no reported WL movement (only 1 person on SDN reported getting off of the WL)? Its highly unlikely I'll get in at this point, and this school can provide me with the most valuable feedback as I interviewed there and the adcom extensively reviewed my app. Would this sort of email essentially close any doors for WL -> A?
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It won't close any doors, since you'd clearly still love to receive the A, since you're asking for feedback, presumably in anticipation of a reapp. Most schools won't provide feedback until they issue the R, if at all, but it costs you nothing to try. You should also be aware that most schools will also not provide feedback while you have an application pending, so keep that in mind if plan on reapplying to that school in the upcoming cycle.
 
KnightDoc said:
As a result, the tiny bit of WL movement at the end now goes exclusively to people not holding other As, so it is far more orderly than before, with no cascading effect, as CTEs have been kicking in across the country since the beginning of June. I doubt you'll see a single person reporting being off a WL after CTEing, even if they don't remove themselves from the WL.
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So you’re saying there’s a chance for us duds with no A’s? (4 WL zero A here)
 
fogo said:
So you’re saying there’s a chance for us duds with no A’s? (4 WL zero A here)
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Absolutely. By the way, your profile indicates you are far from a dud. You either had terrible luck or need some interviewing help, but no one with your stats and your WLs can objectively be classified as a dud.

There's ALWAYS a chance, until classes start or your receive the dreaded R. The point is, as time marches on and your chances diminish, it's also true that people with other As are forced to withdraw from the WL as their CTE deadlines approach. And, even if they don't withdraw, schools that are playing by the rules won't touch them.

That leaves you, and people like you! 🙂

Unfortunately, this is balanced against the fact that there is just very little movement as the summer progresses. OTOH, people are still reporting movement, even today. That said, you're in a really tough position, given your superlative stats and the tier of school you are dealing with. I'm sure it won't shock you to learn there is a hierarchy at work here.

Movement at top schools in early May begets movement at mid tiers later in May, and so on. The movement we are seeing now is mostly at lower tier MD and DO. TBH, I'm not sure how this is going to help someone with a 3.94/522, but, it's true that things happen at the last minute, at all tiers of school, every year. So, you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. What else can you do?
 
KnightDoc said:
Absolutely. By the way, your profile indicates you are far from a dud. You either had terrible luck or need some interviewing help, but no one with your stats and your WLs can objectively be classified as a dud.

There's ALWAYS a chance, until classes start or your receive the dreaded R. The point is, as time marches on and your chances diminish, it's also true that people with other As are forced to withdraw from the WL as their CTE deadlines approach. And, even if they don't withdraw, schools that are playing by the rules won't touch them.

That leaves you, and people like you! 🙂

Unfortunately, this is balanced against the fact that there is just very little movement as the summer progresses. OTOH, people are still reporting movement, even today. That said, you're in a really tough position, given your superlative stats and the tier of school you are dealing with. I'm sure it won't shock you to learn there is a hierarchy at work here.

Movement at top schools in early May begets movement at mid tiers later in May, and so on. The movement we are seeing now is mostly at lower tier MD and DO. TBH, I'm not sure how this is going to help someone with a 3.94/522, but, it's true that things happen at the last minute, at all tiers of school, every year. So, you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. What else can you do?
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Im a dud…
 
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