2020-2021 Waitlist Support Thread

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bubba2021 said:
I don’t know if this has been discussed already but this is my first cycle applying and I am on an unranked waitlist. My premed advisor said a ranked waitlist is better. Is this true? Don’t you have a better chance on an unranked waitlist? Or does it make no difference?Can someone clarify?
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Yet another example of many advisors having absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

Most schools do NOT use a ranked WL, because using one requires them to utilize it in strict order under LCME rules, which destroys needed flexibility to form the class. An unranked list does not mean it is totally random. It just means it is not formally ranked, and schools have freedom to pick and choose, for instance by sex, geography, demographic group, or, maybe, even LOI.

This does not mean your file is not scored, and that you don't have a place relative to everyone else. You do. You just don't have a formal rank.

What sucks is that most schools also provide no transparency, while others let you know your relative position (high priority, top third, whatever), which allows you to handicap your prospects.
 
Is it normal for schools to send you an email asking ppl to withdraw from the waitlist? Or is that just something new for this year?
 
joshuamarcus said:
Is it normal for schools to send you an email asking ppl to withdraw from the waitlist? Or is that just something new for this year?
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I don't think it's new. It's just not widely reported.

They are not trying to send any messages. They are just trying to gauge interest and prune the list of people who have no continuing interest, but were too lazy to let them know, before they get to work.

It's a waste of time for them to accept people who no longer have an interest, plus, it messes up their reported yield. It's no biggie, and doesn't mean anything one way or the other regarding your chances.
 
proudofmykids said:
#1 has an angle of bias depending in the candidate... If you are holding Acdeptamces when you write it, you are implying to thr WL school it is your preference over existing Acceptances. Other candidates with no A's can't state this since they can't refer a current A. And yet other candidates, send an Intent that is true but don't indicate it is dependent on Aid provided by the WL school tombe chosen over current Acceptance and aid package. Are you saying in this last example the student can't send an LOI?

#2 isn't too much more far fetched as getting off both wait lists. You seem to agree that new info would absolve you of your previous Intent.

#3 your outcome isn't affected as you imply. No matter how much jockeying is done by a single applicant, all As but one must get dropped. Your shot at getting the A single affected if another candidate cycles through and releases N other As.
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Bro... ive tried understanding this and I just can’t, are you commisioned to write CARS passages by any chance?
 
paul30 said:
Just preparing for reapp lmao, but do med schools not like it if you're on their WL and you also re-apply during the new cycle? I didn't even think about this until my pre-med advisor brought it up :')
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great question. i'd also like to know
 
paul30 said:
Just preparing for reapp lmao, but do med schools not like it if you're on their WL and you also re-apply during the new cycle? I didn't even think about this until my pre-med advisor brought it up :')
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As far as I am aware, the schools that I’m WL at actually recommend reapplying *if* we have improved apps. (They admitted that they will compare the current app to the previous app) So as long as you submit a better app, it should be fine.
 
paul30 said:
Just preparing for reapp lmao, but do med schools not like it if you're on their WL and you also re-apply during the new cycle? I didn't even think about this until my pre-med advisor brought it up :')
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They won't see that you are reapplying until you submit your application and it is sent out to medical schools.
May 27, 2021 is the first possible date to submit your completed AMCAS application, and with the time needed for verification by AMCAS the schools won't get your primary until some time in late June.
 
wysdoc said:
They won't see that you are reapplying until you submit your application and it is sent out to medical schools.
May 27, 2021 is the first possible date to submit your completed AMCAS application, and with the time needed for verification by AMCAS the schools won't get your primary until some time in late June.
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Julatteluver said:
As far as I am aware, the schools that I’m WL at actually recommend reapplying *if* we have improved apps. (They admitted that they will compare the current app to the previous app) So as long as you submit a better app, it should be fine.
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This makes me feel much better haha, thanks!
 
paul30 said:
Just preparing for reapp lmao, but do med schools not like it if you're on their WL and you also re-apply during the new cycle? I didn't even think about this until my pre-med advisor brought it up :')
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Nope. Schools understand you gotta do what you gotta do.

@wysdoc is correct that, in any event, schools won't see anything until late June at the earliest (first transmission date to schools is 6/25). More importantly, @gonnif has repeatedly posted a compendium of schools that actively discourage a reapplication immediately after a failed cycled, because they don't think you can substantially improve in such a short amount of time. You should search for it.

It's certainly not gospel, since PLENTY of people have reported success immediately after a failed cycle (remember, you are not a reapplicant at schools you have not previously applied to! 🙂), but, it's definitely something to consider.
 
rubisco_disco said:
Does anyone else feel that "unranked waitlist" isn't an accurate description? I imagine all ad coms use some type of ranking to organize their preferred WL applicants. If there indeed is some sort of ranking, then I don't see how sending updates moves the needle
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This is very true. You are correct, sending an update is not going to cause the adcom to reconvene to decide whether to rescore your application to take into account the 30 extra hours you volunteered at the food bank, the 100 additional hours of research, or the extra 50 hours of tutoring you performed since your last update.

On the other hand, you never know whether an update, which, among other things, evidences continuing interest, might move the needle between candidates in a similar place on the list. So, there is no reason not to send updates, especially if the school encourages it.
 
gonnif said:
1) Before: a general informal ranking of "top, middle, bottom" or similar, Often it is whatever scoring/classification was used for evals and review previously
2) After: see how many acceptees drop their acceptance, and meet again mid-late May and go thru it again. The later a school does this, the more work is done simply by attrition.
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That's very similar to how I thought it would be. Thanks for clarifying!
 
doktoralya said:
Is anyone else going crazy with totems, tarot readings, horoscopes and signs and all that? Just to get a sign from the universe about the waitlist outcomes...
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i got a fortune cookie from panda express and threw away the fortune when i realized it couldn't be peripherally applied to my chances of getting off a wl 😂
 
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but if we get accepted at multiple schools after April 30th, can we hold onto those multiple acceptances? Or are we only allowed to hold one acceptance at a time?
 
godzillamd said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but if we get accepted at multiple schools after April 30th, can we hold onto those multiple acceptances? Or are we only allowed to hold one acceptance at a time?
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Only one I think

Edit: after you PTE or CTE
 
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godzillamd said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but if we get accepted at multiple schools after April 30th, can we hold onto those multiple acceptances? Or are we only allowed to hold one acceptance at a time?
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Not a dumb question at all! As I have been pointing out in a spirited back and forth with one of the adcoms, schools can see PTEs and CTEs, but NOT As or WLs.

As a result, the only schools who will know about any new As will be the new A schools themselves (and they will only see their own!). They will each set a deadline by which you will be required to make a decision. This will typically be one week, but can be as long or as short as they want, and can be extended at their total discretion.

You can hold each new A without making a decision as long as the school allows, and without regard to whatever else might be going on at any other school. As an example, if you are lucky enough to receive 3 calls next Monday, and each school gives you a week to decide, you will be able to hold all 3 As all week before choosing one, selecting it as PTE, and dropping the other 2. You will also be able to stay on any remaining WLs until your CTE date, and, hopefully, repeat the process as you receive more As. I hope this helps!!!
 
ChemEtoMD23 said:
I’m wondering this as well. Say someone gets two acceptances on the same day after April 30. Does that person have to immediately decline one of them? Or can he/she hold both for some short time (say, 2 weeks) to make a decision?
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Can you imagine? two acceptances on the same day? dayum...
 
As a third time re-applicant, but a new waitlisted person, I just want to say to all you folks who got waitlisted last year and are back here that I hope this will be the year for you.

You are all honestly so strong for persevering, I know last year was just a really bad year for waitlist movement (applied last year, no luck, but still stuck around and looked at threads). But compared to last year, all the schools I applied to have showed much better preparation for this time in the cycle, some have already started accepting people off the waitlist much earlier than they did last year too!

Not to mention what other folks in this thread have said, like there being people who have multiple acceptances being held onto given how much easier it was to apply and interview this year than ever before.

Here's to hoping once this week passes along with the April 30th deadline, we all start to hear such great news.
 
orange_chicken said:
Anyone elses' family and friends constantly bother them about acceptances?

"dId YoU gEt In YeT?"

Me: "I don't know... wait until May"

*two days later, still in April*

"DiD yOu GeT iN yEt?!?!"
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Yep. I regret telling people “I’ll know by April 30th” before realizing that it’ll actually be after April 30th haha.
 
orange_chicken said:
Anyone elses' family and friends constantly bother them about acceptances?

"dId YoU gEt In YeT?"

Me: "I don't know... wait until May"

*two days later, still in April*

"DiD yOu GeT iN yEt?!?!"
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Sucks especially when you interviewed for schools all the way back in September and people have been asking every month 😀 I love it!!!

edit: also when friends say, “damn man so and so already got accepted to a bunch of places, what happened with your application?” Wish people understood how difficult this process is.

People outside of the medical community have 0 idea of what this takes, but thats whats so cool about being a doc. We work hard and may often be under-appreciated, but we do it because its an incredible feeling to help humanity and save a life here or there.

Took the opportunity to rant a bit, hope it’s not ill-received hehe
 
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This is probably a stupid question but is this thread for dental acho waitlists? I just found out about this thread as well and definitely could’ve used it over the last few months
 
doktoralya said:
Is anyone else going crazy with totems, tarot readings, horoscopes and signs and all that? Just to get a sign from the universe about the waitlist outcomes...
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bro I literally keep seeing the license plate of the state that school that WL'd me is in EVERYWHERE when it wasn't before and IM READING INTO IT
 
Rockdude said:
Well atleast you loosing it later... me just piling on.... not giving it back....
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The trick is to be broke to the point where you can’t afford new clothes 😉, but seriously, it’s probably because I binge then have a phase of not eating at all for a while. Trying to fix this before med school begins or I will face issues eventually
 
NoEyeEyeGuy said:
i wont be cured until i take a pic in my white coat and put some clever caption about how i grind 24/7/365 and that anybody can do it if they just put their mind to it.
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I mean, all of you are planning to start your own ~medical student influencer~ careers right? Else what is the point of medical school?
 
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