2020 Cycle Waitlist Support Thread

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Med.School.Hopeful said:
Interesting find on reddit. Compilation of schools CTE dates.



I guess these are the dates when waitlist movement will really starting rolling. Don’t give up hope everyone!
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Does that mean closer to these dates or after really? Some of them are really close to august and that makes me feel both sad and scared inside...
 
mwsapphire said:
You know the worst thing with this waitlist purgatory? The timing makes it so Im still on the WL, but I also wanna start my reapp. So Im prewriting my primary/secondary stuff, trying to figure out something for my gap year, all while having a chance of getting in. Like, my advisor said the committee can't provide me a letter until they are sure I wont get in, and not to actually submit my primary until I know Im not getting in.

Also! Like 3 people off of SDN got into the program Im waiting at today, so each week it seems like I have less of a chance but also high enough to not submit anything...
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Been seeing your posts since the begining of this cycle. I know you applied a litlle late and was completed latter than most. I am rooting for you and hope you get that A eventually. But if you have to reapply, please apply more broadly and submit your primary on the day it opnes and your 2nd within 2 or 3 days of getting it. I have an average MCAT, average gpa, and okay ECs. Being from CA and a male asian, I was so worried about my stats that I applied to 32 MD schools. I was fortunate to receive 11 II, attended 8, got 5 As and 3 WL(withdrew). I believe you can do the same because your stats are not far from mine. Go get that A.
 
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babygreenbeans said:
anyone send new LOR to their schools? how does that exactly work? does the letter writer simply email admissions about an informal LOR?
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I would call your school(s) and ask them if they accept new letters and how you should send them. I would personally recommend using interfolio if you might have to reapply so you have that LOR on file for next year.
 
babygreenbeans said:
why does it feel like all the WL movement has already occurred....ugh
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Well. If it was over, then schools would email everyone letting them know about that. I’m sure that’s not the case as you can see from some of the post here that have said that their adcom can’t give them feedback until this cycle is over.
 
I’m struggling tonight given that it’s the end of a week, but I also believe that schools aren’t all of a sudden done and giving out zero more acceptances. Trying to balance the stress with the logic lol but it’s hard. Hope everyone is able to relax tonight and remember that this is all NOT a reflection of your worth and that you are so much more than this as a person!! This is a tough process that few can understand but here we are enduring it! Hope you all can take some time for yourself and relax🙂 also glad to see tik tok references on here bc that’s how I’m taking time for myself lol lol 10/10
 
JonnyPakasa said:
Been seeing your posts since the begining of this cycle. I know you applied a litlle late and was completed latter than most. I am rooting for you and hope you get that A eventually. But if you have to reapply, please apply more broadly and submit your primary on the day it opnes and your 2nd within 2 or 3 days of getting it. I have an average MCAT, average gpa, and okay ECs. Being from CA and a male asian, I was so worried about my stats that I applied to 32 MD schools. I was fortunate to receive 11 II, attended 8, got 3 As and 4 WL. I believe you can do the same because your stats are not far from mine. Go get that A.
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If you don’t mind sharing, what was your MCAT and gpa? Might give hope to others with those stats. Thx
 
So I've been a longtime lurker on SDN but I'm really glad to have found this group.

Are there any other non-traditionals here who have become so exhausted from this whole process that it feels almost overwhelming to try again? I'm going into my third year post-college (and I know this puts me at the younger end of non-trads), but between juggling everything life has thrown at me, among other responsibilities, I feel like I just don't have the same motivation I once had.

I'm sitting on three waitlists right now with no acceptances, so it makes sense rationally and strategically to work on a reapp. Maybe it's the ongoing pandemic, maybe it's because I'm still working full-time and I'm tired, but I just can't find that same drive.
 
TripleHBK said:
Does that mean closer to these dates or after really? Some of them are really close to august and that makes me feel both sad and scared inside...
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Probably around those dates. Yeah really sucks. Definitely got some more waiting to do.
 
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Here’s a far fetched glimmer of hope for your weekend! Next weekend was the time many schools had their in person commencement scheduled. Converting this to a virtual ceremony, in a meaningful way probably takes a lot of time, creativity and brain power. Maybe your WL movement is being put on the back burner for 1 more week to get that completed? Then the phone lines will be busy with happy calls!

“Delusional and Glass Half-Full” signing off for the weekend,
 
I'm not sure I belong on here, but this entire process is so exhausting. Although I am lucky to have an acceptance, I'm currently waitlisted at the school my SO goes to (which will be on the other side of the country from my current acceptance). I am losing hope on the WL and it is making me scared for my future with my SO🙁
 
coffeebeans12 said:
I'm not sure I belong on here, but this entire process is so exhausting. Although I am lucky to have an acceptance, I'm currently waitlisted at the school my SO goes to (which will be on the other side of the country from my current acceptance). I am losing hope on the WL and it is making me scared for my future with my SO🙁
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I know it feels very exhausting, but don’t give up and don’t lose hope !! You got this and things will work out no matter what . My SO and I have been long distance for the last year as he got into a graduate school in another state and I’m waitlisted in a completely another state now and was completing my bachelors so I couldn’t go there , which is hard but you’re able to make it through . You still have a chance and regardless , don’t let the distance impact you you guys and work through it as this is a time you are establishing both yourselves for a better future . That’s the way I like to look at it. Hopefully it doesn’t come to being long distance , but you will still be able to see them if it comes to that four years pass in no time - just wanted to send motivation your way from Someone who was in a similar position a year ago and will continue to be long distance a min of 4 years .

Also , I think there are some programs that prioritize couples in certain universities . Like they don’t like to seperate couples , but I think it’s school specific.
I would Contact indirectly and inquire on this 🙂 and you still got a shot too on the waitlist , it’s only the beginning of may

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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coffeebeans12 said:
I'm not sure I belong on here, but this entire process is so exhausting. Although I am lucky to have an acceptance, I'm currently waitlisted at the school my SO goes to (which will be on the other side of the country from my current acceptance). I am losing hope on the WL and it is making me scared for my future with my SO🙁
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yeah I agree with [mention]MindMed_123_A [/mention]! I was long distance with my BF of like 2 years at the time for 4 years and it was so hard at first but when you’re both really busy time goes by super quickly. We still made time to see each other and moved in together after college. If anything I think it made us stronger and made me feel confident about our relationship 🙂 it definitely sucks don’t get me wrong, but at least you’ll know you’re both working hard to be successful
 
What are your backup options in case this year doesn't work out and it's already your second, third, fourth, ...etc. application? Anyone considering just giving up and going abroad to school (Europe, Caribbean, Australia)?
 
medhopeful07 said:
What are your backup options in case this year doesn't work out and it's already your second, third, fourth, ...etc. application? Anyone considering just giving up and going abroad to school (Europe, Caribbean, Australia)?
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I’m going to do a one year masters , and probably retake my mcat prior to applying again so if I don’t get in, I’ll be applying next cycle not this cycle. The only thing that makes me scared about going abroad to school is the new changes to the step exam with it being pass/fail . It will technically be our second year that we take the new step exam, and we don’t know how it impacts international applicants, if you plan on coming back to the United States to practice . Hbu?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MindMed_123_A said:
I’m going to do a one year masters , and probably retake my mcat prior to applying again so if I don’t get in, I’ll be applying next cycle not this cycle. The only thing that makes me scared about going abroad to school is the new changes to the step exam with it being pass/fail . It will technically be our second year that we take the new step exam, and we don’t know how it impacts international applicants, if you plan on coming back to the United States to practice . Hbu?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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What will your masters be in?
 
Anyone else think there needs to be a complete overhaul of the waitlist process and choosing which school to go to?

CTE dates need to be bumped up and schools should be quicker with financial aid information. It’s getting to the point where people can’t submit an application for NEXT cycle because they’re still waiting to hear back from this cycle. And this will continue into July! I can’t believe people wait up to almost a year to hear back about an interview!

I’ve got friends who’ve applied to graduate schools and business programs who laugh at the idea of the medical school admissions process.
 
Acm8989 said:
I took my MCAT the same month my old roommate took her LSAT. Now she's a lawyer. And I'm.... still nothing.
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As someone who's applied to business programs (though my experience isn't representative of what business grad programs look like nationwide) and med school...there is a serious psychological toll the med school admissions process takes on you relative to other admissions processes. It's tough, and I hate the med admissions process so much. But looking back on it...I wouldn't have appreciated an A or WL (or as crazy as it sounds, an R, received a couple of these) as much as I do now without going through the grind. I think the grind of the whole process made me appreciate even getting this far.

So many kids quit before applying to med school (had a friend who did this) or just stop after a cycle or two...so in a way, it makes us appreciate how hard we fought and struggled the past 4 (or more) years. Being on the WL is tough and adds to the psychological strain, but when you get that A...it really feels like you climbed a mountain peak and for a moment, makes the hell of the process a little more worthwhile. I wish I could make things easier for many of you right now, but in the meantime...you guys fought so hard to be here. And I'm really proud of you!

Maybe someone needs to hear that now. Idk. But I hope it helps.
 
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JonnyPakasa said:
Been seeing your posts since the begining of this cycle. I know you applied a litlle late and was completed latter than most. I am rooting for you and hope you get that A eventually. But if you have to reapply, please apply more broadly and submit your primary on the day it opnes and your 2nd within 2 or 3 days of getting it. I have an average MCAT, average gpa, and okay ECs. Being from CA and a male asian, I was so worried about my stats that I applied to 32 MD schools. I was fortunate to receive 11 II, attended 8, got 3 As and 4 WL. I believe you can do the same because your stats are not far from mine. Go get that A.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I was complete a little late, that's why I want to be complete ASAP this cycle, so I am prewriting everything and getting my individual LORs from writers ( that will make up the committee letter).
I applied to about a dozen close fit programs that are close to home. Im thinking of expanding that list to include programs farther away, but still within my stats range.
 
mwsapphire said:
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I was complete a little late, that's why I want to be complete ASAP this cycle, so I am prewriting everything and getting my individual LORs from writers ( that will make up the committee letter).
I applied to about a dozen close fit programs that are close to home. Im thinking of expanding that list to include programs farther away, but still within my stats range.
Click to expand...

mwsapphire said:
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I was complete a little late, that's why I want to be complete ASAP this cycle, so I am prewriting everything and getting my individual LORs from writers ( that will make up the committee letter).
I applied to about a dozen close fit programs that are close to home. Im thinking of expanding that list to include programs farther away, but still within my stats range.
Click to expand...
You remind me of Notthrowingawaymyshot. She got one interview late and landed that acceptance. You will do the same.
 
Don't give up hope yall! Its only been 9 days! As someone who sat on 4 waitlists last year and din't get off. I saw most of the movement happen Mid-Late may and into June! There is a long way to go. I know that theres this idea that waitlists move like crazy right away but it really does take time! Yall got 3 more months cant give up hope now.
 
for those who have another acceptance but are waiting for decisions from their top choices, when are y’all going to start looking for housing? I was accepted to an out of state school but am still waiting on responses from four other WLs. Not sure when I should start looking for housing for the school I was accepted at
 
For those of you considering signing a lease rn, do you know if your school is having fall semester online or not? And if so is that going to impact whether or not you move out?
 
catladybutnormal said:
On 4 waitlists and hoping that I’ll get accepted somewhere but if I have to reapply I’m gonna have to take the mcat again 🙁 When do you think is the latest I can take it without totally messing up my chances? (given that schools will be more lenient about mcat submission because of covid) Is September terribly late? I’d submit my primary and secondaries ASAP. I have new clinical and non clinical experiences that will boost my app, and considering I got 4 interviews this cycle with my meh mcat I think I’ll have a shot still, even with a late mcat submission?? Or I guess I’d just hear back from schools in the spring rather than fall (assuming I get a better score). I need 3 months to study but I refuse to start now because I still have hope!! I’d prefer to start in late June...
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I booked my retake for September. It is late, but I don't think its terribly too late because I do think that schools will be more lenient due to covid, and the summer dates filling up really quickly due to the fact that so many people missed their Spring tests dates. Being completely REALISTIC, I do think there may be more MCAT cancellations this year due to second waves of covid, especially around fall and with all the state re-openings going on. That being said, I am also going to wait to hear for my waitlist movements before I start to study. Stay positive and keep praying 🙂 you are on 4 waitlists and have good chances of getting in this year.
 
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coffee&scrubs said:
I’m in the same boat right now. The school I am accepted at is also out of state, but most incoming students start signing leases starting in mid May or early June. I have only glanced at the spreadsheet provided to us for housing and roommate options. I'm telling myself that I'll start seriously searching in a couple weeks if (god forbid) I don't hear back from my preferred WL schools.
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Haha I can’t imagine even being accepted to one school right now and having the ability to wait out other waitlists for the first choice. I guess it’s a very good problem to have this time of the year.
 
expressojoe said:
For those of you considering signing a lease rn, do you know if your school is having fall semester online or not? And if so is that going to impact whether or not you move out?
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Been wondering this too! I haven't formally began looking for housing or roommates yet because I am sitting on 3 WLs and I'm hoping these schools give out some information before the end of the month at least. But even if the fall semester is online, I will likely continue to live near campus rather than move out.
 
In what way are you guys planning on changing up your personal statement? Are you gonna basically change the entire thing or just change the theme of it? And will it be centered around how you’re a re-pp or no? Just tryna brainstorm ideas I’m not too sure how I wanna approach it yet
 
sun_flower580 said:
In what way are you guys planning on changing up your personal statement? Are you gonna basically change the entire thing or just change the theme of it? And will it be centered around how you’re a re-pp or no? Just tryna brainstorm ideas I’m not too sure how I wanna approach it yet
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It depends on if you are applying to the same schools again. If you feel like you've changed and done a lot during this year between apps, you should rewrite your personal statement to reflect that and talk about your growth these past 12 months. If you are applying to a different set of schools, you dont have to mention you are reapplying, since they dont know. They can infer, but they wont have last years app to compare it to(schools you're applying to again can). I'm personally rewriting it to focus more on my shadowing experience, but I'm still working on it so maybe I'll change it up later on
 
silvershark3 said:
It depends on if you are applying to the same schools again. If you feel like you've changed and done a lot during this year between apps, you should rewrite your personal statement to reflect that and talk about your growth these past 12 months. If you are applying to a different set of schools, you dont have to mention you are reapplying, since they dont know. They can infer, but they wont have last years app to compare it to(schools you're applying to again can). I'm personally rewriting it to focus more on my shadowing experience, but I'm still working on it so maybe I'll change it up later on
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Ok thanks so much. I will be re-applying to most of the same 30 schools I applied to this cycle but also adding a few more. I have some updates for the cycle but honestly nothing that I think is really worth gearing a whole personal statement about. I was considering making the theme about re-applying/not giving up but now idk
 
sun_flower580 said:
In what way are you guys planning on changing up your personal statement? Are you gonna basically change the entire thing or just change the theme of it? And will it be centered around how you’re a re-pp or no? Just tryna brainstorm ideas I’m not too sure how I wanna approach it yet
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I think it depends on how you feel about your personal statement from before, you really don’t have to change too much if you feel good about it! I’m personally reworking mine in terms of flow and adding a 2-3 sentences portion about reapplying and what’s it’s taught me. No major changes or anything just because my why medicine/ major motivations didn’t really change.
 
sun_flower580 said:
I don’t think we should give up but I think we should start prepping for the worst so we aren’t so caught off guard that the next cycle ends the same way 😢
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Don't prepare for the worst. Prepare for the most likely scenario. Getting off of a WL is extremely unlikely. A lot of us have a bad case of survivorship bias where we only focus on the few who successfully got off of WLs while excluding the thousands that fail.

SDN adds to this bias because those who fail to get off WLs never report it on SDN while the few who do get off WLs gleefully report it along with the obligatory "WL movement is not over, there is still hope!!"

Please take my advice: If you do not have an acceptance right now, consider yourself rejected from every school and fully commit yourself to reapply next year. If you wait around for a WL acceptance that will most likely never come and fail to work on next cycles application, the same thing is going to happen to you next year.
 
HopefulDoctor109 said:
Don't prepare for the worst. Prepare for the most likely scenario. Getting off of a WL is extremely unlikely. A lot of us have a bad case of survivorship bias where we only focus on the few who successfully got off of WLs while excluding the thousands that fail.

SDN adds to this bias because those who fail to get off WLs never report it on SDN while the few who do get off WLs gleefully report it along with the obligatory "WL movement is not over, there is still hope!!"

Please take my advice: If you do not have an acceptance right now, consider yourself rejected from every school and fully commit yourself to reapply next year. If you wait around for a WL acceptance that will most likely never come and fail to work on next cycles application, the same thing is going to happen to you next year.
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Anyone else read this and feel like vomiting? Lol (I’m not disputing what you’re saying OP- definitely agree that we should be realistic and proactive but damn lol) *cries* *sobs in shower*
 
Small plug for those feeling overwhelmed by the thought of reapplying- please take time to recharge!! After my first application cycle (unsuccessful in gaining admission), I felt so defeated. I took the next year to work on my resume and regained my motivation for pursuing a career in medicine BEFORE reapplying. Since you all know how brutal the cycle can be, you should really want to submit your best possible application. My advice is to not reapply back to back, for both your sanity and practical sense. Message me if you need help about gap year ideas. Best of luck y’all
 
HopefulDoctor109 said:
Don't prepare for the worst. Prepare for the most likely scenario. Getting off of a WL is extremely unlikely. A lot of us have a bad case of survivorship bias where we only focus on the few who successfully got off of WLs while excluding the thousands that fail.

SDN adds to this bias because those who fail to get off WLs never report it on SDN while the few who do get off WLs gleefully report it along with the obligatory "WL movement is not over, there is still hope!!"

Please take my advice: If you do not have an acceptance right now, consider yourself rejected from every school and fully commit yourself to reapply next year. If you wait around for a WL acceptance that will most likely never come and fail to work on next cycles application, the same thing is going to happen to you next year.
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Some of us have a slight roadblock when it comes to reapp- my pre-med committee won't write me committee letter right now, since the DO waitlist I'm on is very high yield, it seems to be that I can collect the letters that make up the committee letter, but I may not be able to get the actual committee letter until a bit later.

Another is that she claims that submitting a new AMCAS/ACOMAS right now would be a bad form since there is such a high chance of getting in, so the best I can do is pre-write my new PS and new Activities summaries. I am going to reapplying to every school on my list from this year- how much do I need to change the secondaries?

So it's a little harder to fully dive into a reapp right now. Also if the WL you're on is a DO waitlist , with the timing of the DO cycle and the fact that DO WL's move, you can have more hope.
 
LiveLoveLaugh4444 said:
I think it depends on how you feel about your personal statement from before, you really don’t have to change too much if you feel good about it! I’m personally reworking mine in terms of flow and adding a 2-3 sentences portion about reapplying and what’s it’s taught me. No major changes or anything just because my why medicine/ major motivations didn’t really change.
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Based on podcasts I’ve listened to where adcoms specifically answer whether to rewrite the PS, the answer is almost always yes. The reason being is that they can see your previous application and it can seem lazy if you don’t rewrite it. They are specifically looking for what you did differently when you reapply. You may have retaken the MCAT, added more volunteering hours, fixed grades... that’s great! But I think it just looks better when you go the extra mile and rewrite everything. You can use the same framework, anecdotes, etc, but just try to attack the PS from a slightly different angle. Just trying to give advice based on what I have heard from several different admissions sources (this is also what you hear from the adcoms on SDN). Good luck!
 
Zen Arcade said:
Based on podcasts I’ve listened to where adcoms specifically answer whether to rewrite the PS, the answer is almost always yes. The reason being is that they can see your previous application and it can seem lazy if you don’t rewrite it. They are specifically looking for what you did differently when you reapply. You may have retaken the MCAT, added more volunteering hours, fixed grades... that’s great! But I think it just looks better when you go the extra mile and rewrite everything. You can use the same framework, anecdotes, etc, but just try to attack the PS from a slightly different angle. Just trying to give advice based on what I have heard from several different admissions sources (this is also what you hear from the adcoms on SDN). Good luck!
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Oh I completely agree, in my head that’s what rework means since I’m using the same points for the most part, but thank you!
 
whatdreamsaremadeof said:
for those who have another acceptance but are waiting for decisions from their top choices, when are y’all going to start looking for housing? I was accepted to an out of state school but am still waiting on responses from four other WLs. Not sure when I should start looking for housing for the school I was accepted at
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Week 1 of June.
 
I genuinely don’t believe you have to completely rewrite a personal statement. I put my sweat, blood, and tears in the last personal statement I wrote. It’s a chronological order of every possible reason to why I want to become a doctor carved from my most intense experiences. (coming from a third world country, going back and proving refugees with Prosthetic devices I build with a team of engineers). So I feel like if you have a good personal statement, and it truly stands out; then it will stand out next time regardless if it’s repeated or not. You’d rather have an amazing personal statement then to change an amazing personal statement and mess it up just to make it look like you wanted to “look like you’re not lazy”
 
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