2020 Cycle Waitlist Support Thread

[gyngyn]

I assume this is in line with some sort of standards set by the LCME. Do things like high priority waitlists have to fall under one of those categories, or could they be either ranked or unranked?

The committee can stratify an unranked waitlist any way they like.

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[Zen Arcade]

I’ve really been struggling a lot with anxiety this week. Last week I got to the #1 spot on my first choice schools ranked waitlist. I know it sounds like I’m in a really good position, and I thought I would feel great when I got here, but honestly I find myself second guessing my chances more than ever now. During first 2 weeks of May the waitlist moved on average 1-2 spots per day until I got to the top and then it just completely stopped. I know... it’s not over yet, but I can’t shake this weird feeling I have that I’ll be stuck here for good. I feel like I tripped inches from the finish line and I can’t help but be angry at myself for not doing better on my interview, mcat, etc. I know I’m in a much better position than the vast majority of you on here, but I’ve just hit a new low emotionally this week. It’s almost like now that I’m a toe away from getting in I’m convinced it’s never gonna happen. Fear of the unknown has just kind of broken me and it’s been hard to pick myself back up.

I'm happy to say I finally got off the WL! Being in this pool of ambiguity is awful and beyond stressful... I truly hope the best news for you all in the coming days/weeks.

 

[Talldoctor96]

The committee can stratify an unranked waitlist any way they like.

Why would any school not want to do this? Seems way more advantageous and flexible than ranked? Maybe ranked is less work?

 

[getlucky]

Story time! (i'll try to be brief)
3 years ago I applied to MD-PhD and MD only programs. I applied early and only got 1 interview late in the cycle. Ultimately I was waitlisted and didn't get the A. Around this time 3 years ago I was reflecting on what I needed to fix on my application moving forward. I approached my mentor and shared my thoughts and asked for feedback. My mentor told me that they didn't think that I was committed enough, that I didn't want to be in this field, and that I had not sacrificed enough.
I was shattered. Looking back I know that my application was not the strongest, but if my mentor held those sentiments and communicated them into their letter of recommendation, that surely did not help my case.
So I spent the summer crying and reflecting and wondering if my mentor was right. Did I not want this enough? I spoke with every one of my other letter writers, my advisors, and confidants. None of them could understand why my mentor would say such things.
Ultimately I decided that I would take as much time as I needed to fix my application and make it solid. It took 3 years (which included an MCAT retake). This past cycle I ended up with 6 MD-PhD acceptances. My world has changed. I still have the blog post I wrote the night after that conversation with my mentor, where I felt like my life was over. It is so humbling to go through this process and want it so badly and not get the A on your first try. It is humbling and painful, but in the end I don't regret it. I have experienced so much growth in the last 3 years. I know that gap years are daunting, and yes your student loans start collecting and it's terrifying, but please don't ever think less of yourself for not getting in the first time or for taking a few gap years. I believe in all of you. You are so incredibly supportive of each other in this thread, it's been a privilege to lurk on yall!

Best of luck everyone!

 

[gyngyn]

Why would any school not want to do this? Seems way more advantageous and flexible than ranked? Maybe ranked is less work?

Beats me.

 

[coolcat2]

Got an acceptance today! Planned to submit a letter of intent today, but I ended up not even needing to. Thanks y’all for the advice, tips, and stories. You all deserve that A!!!

 

[hopefulmdtobe]

when you get a call from the area code of the med school you applied to, but it ends up being the instacart delivery guy saying he's outside with your costco order

 

[medgal12345]

Got an acceptance today! Planned to submit a letter of intent today, but I ended up not even needing to. Thanks y’all for the advice, tips, and stories. You all deserve that A!!!

Congrats! Can I ask which school?

 

[Kenken514]

when you get a call from the area code of the med school you applied to, but it ends up being the instacart delivery guy saying he's outside with your costco order

I'll do you one better. I got a call from the admissions office but it was about my request to go over my app to improve for reapplying.

 

[expressojoe]

Oof, just received an email from a med school to confirm my spot on the waitlist titled “Admissions Status”.

That is just unnecessarily cruel

 

[BlueLion]

I'll do you one better. I got a call from the admissions office but it was about my request to go over my app to improve for reapplying.

I got a phone call from the same area code as my top choice and it turned out to be chinese advertising. Not even chinese and they even had the nerve to play peaceful yiruma river flows in you in the background. I was ready to fight someone.

 

[hopefulmdtobe]

I'll do you one better. I got a call from the admissions office but it was about my request to go over my app to improve for reapplying.

I got a phone call from the same area code as my top choice and it turned out to be chinese advertising. Not even chinese and they even had the nerve to play peaceful yiruma river flows in you in the background. I was ready to fight someone.

lmao ok you guys win

 

[coolcat2]

Congrats! Can I ask which school?

SIU in Illinois!

 

[Med.School.Hopeful]

Another day in the books

 

[djiboutiman]

Just my optimistic thought for the day, I think waitlist movement has been slow or nonexistent at some schools because they’ve had to figure out the graduation situation during COVID. Also admissions is probably trying to figure out how to plan things for next cycle. Since graduation for a few schools is this week, I’m hoping for a lot more movement in June.

 

[Dr_SuperBloom]

Just my optimistic thought for the day, I think waitlist movement has been slow or nonexistent at some schools because they’ve had to figure out the graduation situation during COVID. Also admissions is probably trying to figure out how to plan things for next cycle. Since graduation for a few schools is this week, I’m hoping for a lot more movement in June.

Hate to rain on this parade, but wouldn't that be a totally different set of people planning that event? Why would adcomms be in charge of graduation?

 

[musman9853]

Hate to rain on this parade, but wouldn't that be a totally different set of people planning that event? Why would adcomms be in charge of graduation?

Aren't adcoms just mostly professors and admins?

 

[Yhwach]

Probably going to give up on the WLs

 

[djiboutiman]

Hate to rain on this parade, but wouldn't that be a totally different set of people planning that event? Why would adcomms be in charge of graduation?

It’s probably different per school, but the dean of admissions at one of my WL schools also is the dean of students.

 

[kittykat318]

got an R from one of my waitlists today and the other WL im on is for a reach school, so im expecting the worst.

 

[Texman18]

got an R from one of my waitlists today and the other WL im on is for a reach school, so im expecting the worst.

Sorry to hear that @kittykat318. You still have another chance at the other school though. If anything, feel proud that you have come thus far. It's not over yet, hang tight The best plan of action is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Don't let this cycle discourage you from following your dreams.

 

[MedLife20]

Probably going to give up on the WLs

Im feeling this way too. I will be pleasantly surprised if I get off one of them.

 

[2020_vision]

It happened!! I got an A off the waitlist!!! My first MD acceptance Things really can change overnight! I’ve continually come to this thread and been amazed by the support and positivity, so thank you for being you!!!

 

[Combee29]

It happened!! I got an A off the waitlist!!! My first MD acceptance Things really can change overnight! I’ve continually come to this thread and been amazed by the support and positivity, so thank you for being you!!!

Congrats 2020_vision! Your hindsight is truly 2020! Which school?

 

[2020_vision]

Congrats 2020_vision! Your hindsight is truly 2020! Which school?

Hahaha, thank you!! New York Medical College!

 

[Qwerty122]

It happened!! I got an A off the waitlist!!! My first MD acceptance Things really can change overnight! I’ve continually come to this thread and been amazed by the support and positivity, so thank you for being you!!!

Congrats!!! However, I'm sure another A is coming your way

-A lurker in the Vermont thread

 

[2020_vision]

Congrats!!! However, I'm sure another A is coming your way

-A lurker in the Vermont thread

Hahaha, thank you so much!! That would be awesome, I sure hope so!!

 

[droj18901]

Does anyone have any insight on getting an extension for a CTE date? I'm beyond grateful and excited for the acceptance I received but I am also waitlisted at my dream school, which hasn't really had any movement yet

 

[KnightDoc]

Does anyone have any insight on getting an extension for a CTE date? I'm beyond grateful and excited for the acceptance I received but I am also waitlisted at my dream school, which hasn't really had any movement yet

Highly unlikely. CTE dates established so schools can lock down their classes and give your seat to someone on the WL if you don't want it in a reasonable amount of time before classes actually begin. They have no incentive you give you every last opportunity to bail since they are not your first choice, at the expense of making people who really, really, really want to attend wait a little longer.

Asking for an extension beyond the final, final deadline to commit really does not evidence a feeling beyond gratitude and excitement. How would you even go about asking for it in a way they wouldn't find offensive?

 

[djiboutiman]

Does anyone have any insight on getting an extension for a CTE date? I'm beyond grateful and excited for the acceptance I received but I am also waitlisted at my dream school, which hasn't really had any movement yet

I think what most people have done is to tell the waitlist school you have to CTE by X date, but that they are your top choice. That way you can CTE with the rules and keep your acceptance. Your WL school will likely be understanding and allow you to keep your waitlist position even after CTE. You can also ask for a CTE extension from your accepted school, but then your letting them know they aren’t the prettiest girl at the ball. I know these rules stink, but don’t play around too much and risk losing an acceptance.

 

[droj18901]

I think what most people have done is to tell the waitlist school you have to CTE by X date, but that they are your top choice. That way you can CTE with the rules and keep your acceptance. Your WL school will likely be understanding and allow you to keep your waitlist position even after CTE. You can also ask for a CTE extension from your accepted school, but then your letting them know they aren’t the prettiest girl at the ball. I know these rules stink, but don’t play around too much and risk losing an acceptance.

Makes sense! Yeah, I figured it wasn't a real option to ask for an extension and don't want to risk offending the school or losing an acceptance, but I just thought I would ask in case anyone had any ideas. Thank you for the feedback!

 

[WaitlistsAreTheWorst]

I think what most people have done is to tell the waitlist school you have to CTE by X date, but that they are your top choice. That way you can CTE with the rules and keep your acceptance. Your WL school will likely be understanding and allow you to keep your waitlist position even after CTE. You can also ask for a CTE extension from your accepted school, but then your letting them know they aren’t the prettiest girl at the ball. I know these rules stink, but don’t play around too much and risk losing an acceptance.

Isn’t this straight up against AMCAS rules? The whole point of CTE is that you have withdrawn all other applications, including all waitlists.

 

[rubyred87]

It happened!! I got an A off the waitlist!!! My first MD acceptance Things really can change overnight! I’ve continually come to this thread and been amazed by the support and positivity, so thank you for being you!!!

YAAAAYYY!!!

 

[djiboutiman]

Isn’t this straight up against AMCAS rules? The whole point of CTE is that you have withdrawn all other applications, including all waitlists. Don’t even think AMCAS would

Just sharing what I saw from last year’s school specific threads and waitlist support thread. It seem like some people did that without repercussion from their CTE school. The AAMC knows who stays on waitlists post CTE, so they can share that info. There are no AMCAS “rules” just “guidelines” now. Schools can enforce their own rules and might be stricter this year with CTE dates. I would caution all applicants to not play any games with CTE.

 

[hydro flask]

Looks like there has been WL movement this week at Duke, Brown, SUNY Downstate, Stony Brook, NYMC, Wake Forest, Ohio State, and a few others. I really hope that means more movement to come for us all

 

[KnightDoc]

Just sharing what I saw from last year’s school specific threads and waitlist support thread. It seem like some people did that without repercussion from their CTE school. The AAMC knows who stays on waitlists post CTE, so they can share that info. There are no AMCAS “rules” just “guidelines” now. Schools can enforce their own rules and might be stricter this year with CTE dates. I would caution all applicants to not play any games with CTE.

This^^^. Enforcement is in the hands of the WL school, since the CTE school cannot see the WLs. If WLs are playing by the rules, they will drop you when they see the CTE, but, if they don't, you are fine, at least until you break the CTE commitment. It doesn't appear there is anything the CTE school can do at that point, but who knows what might happen between the schools? If it were me, I'd tell the WL school I need an answer by the CTE date, and then be happy with whatever happens because I was going to be a MD either way.

 

[Talldoctor96]

This^^^. Enforcement is in the hands of the WL school, since the CTE school cannot see the WLs. If WLs are playing by the rules, they will drop you when they see the CTE, but, if they don't, you are fine, at least until you break the CTE commitment. It doesn't appear there is anything the CTE school can do at that point, but who knows what might happen between the schools? If it were me, I'd tell the WL school I need an answer by the CTE date, and then be happy with whatever happens because I was going to be a MD either way.

When you Hit CTE this is what you agree to:

“Commit to Enroll: I am confirming my commitment to matriculate to the medical school selected above*.
By selecting "Commit to Enroll," I am indicating that I have made my final selection and withdrawn all other applications, including waitlist positions.
I understand that it is my responsibility to communicate my withdrawal and acceptance decisions with medical schools directly and to follow their school-specific processes to withdraw my application(s) or confirm my acceptance. Selecting "Commit to Enroll" is not an appropriate method of withdrawing applications from other medical school(s), including any which have offered me an acceptance. Beginning April 30th, medical schools can see which applicants have selected “Commit to Enroll” at their institution.”

You are making a commitment when you hit that button to withdraw from your WLs. If you do not, not only are you being a selfish dick, you are also being dishonest and unprofessional. You can ALWAYS lie, you can ALWAYS cheat. Honestly, as most of you know its pretty easy to do and usually the easiest option. But god damn if you are doing that **** now it is going to catch up to you and its going to hurt your career.

 

[2020_vision]

YAAAAYYY!!!

Woot! Thank you!! I wish the best for everyone in this thread. I’ve had so much anxiety recently, and going through this with those of you on here has been helpful as not many people understand how grueling this process is. It’s not over till it’s over, you guys got this!

 

[Lalutanda69]

I finally came to speak my mind. I currently have 1 A and on 2 WL. After marinating on my dream school's WL since October -- my anxiety has been crazy. I interviewed there the first day they offered interviews in August and have sent over 5 update letters (new job, new free clinic scribing position, letter of interest, letter of intent, new project -- all during my gap year) and heard nothing. The last two weeks I was fortunate enough to have received two LORs from the VP and CEO of my company (5000 person company) after only working here for 7 months. I legit don't know what else to do. At this point I wish they would just reject me. I've given all the time in the world for this school and somehow was able to get a Tech CEO of a billion dollar company to vouch for me-- however it still probably won't make a difference. The saddest part is I feel like the admissions committee probably put the letter under the giant pile of WL applicants.

I really wish they didn't WL me and let me believe I had a chance. I literally gave everything I had for this school, yet it was all meaningless. All in all, I wanted to tell everyone that sometimes your fate is written and no matter what you do you can't change your situation. I'm slowly learning to accept my situation and understand that I was blessed to have received one acceptance. I'm glad I gave it my all though to fight for my dream school. I wish everyone best of luck for this process, and I hope everyone is safe

 

[rubyred87]

I finally came to speak my mind. I currently have 1 A and on 2 WL. After marinating on my dream school's WL since October -- my anxiety has been crazy. I interviewed there the first day they offered interviews in August and have sent over 5 update letters (new job, new free clinic scribing position, letter of interest, letter of intent, new project -- all during my gap year) and heard nothing. The last two weeks I was fortunate enough to have received two LORs from the VP and CEO of my company (5000 person company) after only working here for 7 months. I legit don't know what else to do. At this point I wish they would just reject me. I've given all the time in the world for this school and somehow was able to get a Tech CEO of a billion dollar company to vouch for me-- however it still probably won't make a difference. The saddest part is I feel like the admissions committee probably put the letter under the giant pile of WL applicants.

The sad part of this entire situation is that I really wish they didn't WL me and let me believe I had a chance. I literally gave everything I had for this school, yet it was all meaningless. All in all, I wanted to tell everyone that sometimes your fate is written and no matter what you do you can't change your situation. I'm slowly learning to accept my situation and understand that I was blessed to have received one acceptance. I'm glad I gave it my all though to fight for my dream school. I wish everyone best of luck for this process, and I hope everyone is safe

you are awesome, and your dream school is making a mistake passing you by! congrats on your A and I hope you fall in love with your school, even though it wasn't your dream at first.

I too am accepting a similar situation, it sucks to feel even a shred of "disappointment" in your A because its not from your dream school but you're not alone. For undergrad, I ended up at a school I only added to my list because they had no supplemental essays and the cute guy from my calc class said he thought I'd like it. No joke, that's where I went and I am grateful every single day I ended up there. It's cliche as F but sometimes one door closes (or stays closed no matter how hard you knock) because there's another door wide open somewhere that you're meant to walk through.
I am beginning to believe that my single A must mean that that is exactly where I was meant to be.

Best of luck to you Lalutanda69!

 

[rdyotz]

I believe no school will even offer an acceptance to someone that has selected CTE at another school or offer an acceptance to someone that has already matriculated. Schools seem to follow the recommendations to the admissions officers closely. The recommendations for applicants is on the applicants and not the school, so they don't enforce those unless it is part of the school's guidelines.

Re-reading the recommendations to admissions officers, it does not mention anything about CTE (only matriculated) , so the guidelines seem to let them accept a student, but why would they?

Take everything I write with a grain of salt as I'm not an ADCOM.

 

[KnightDoc]

I believe no school will even offer an acceptance to someone that has selected CTE at another school or offer an acceptance to someone that has already matriculated. Schools seem to follow the recommendations to the admissions officers closely. The recommendations for applicants is on the applicants and not the school, so they don't enforce those unless it is part of the school's guidelines.

Re-reading the recommendations to admissions officers, it does not mention anything about CTE (only matriculated) , so the guidelines seem to let them accept a student, but why would they?

Take everything I write with a grain of salt as I'm not an ADCOM.

Nope, you have it exactly right. Schools will reap what they sow, and if they poach and violate other schools' CTE deadlines, they will surely over time find themselves unable to enforce their own deadlines and will find it increasingly difficult to keep their own students in their seats once classes begin. The world of MD schools is very small, and all of the admissions directors seem to know each other and what their peers are up to.

Although anything is possible, one would think a WL candidate who is CTE elsewhere cannot possibly be THAT much more desirable than the next person on the WL who has no As at a given point in time, such that a school will mess with a system in which it participates and disturb the peace among its peers. It seems as though the prospect of losing its own CTE matriculants to a school doing the same thing would be a powerful disincentive, but time will tell.

 

[djiboutiman]

All this being said I think the AAMC needs to reform the admissions process or ...

 

[#wannabemd]

I really think AAMC needs to refine this process. It is entirely not fair to students to CTE at a school just because that's the only acceptance they have - to the student who accepts and drops their WL position at a school they would rather go to and to the student who would have died to go to that school but won't get off the WL now because another student who didn't 100% want to go there had to CTE. It's entirely not fair to make students drop the CTE to gamble on a WL at their dream school (which frankly little to noone will do). Although an acceptance is an acceptance I feel like this entire process is taking away real choice from students after a certain point. I'm the type of person who won't settle because I'd feel worse settling than if I were rejected because that would just eat away at me.

It is a given that the start dates for schools vary alot - from early July to early september - so obviously schools who start much earlier need much earlier CTE deadlines. But why can't all schools just start in the same month?? So the CTE deadlines can be a few days apart rather than an entire month apart because a lot of things can happen in a month. I feel like that would fix a lot of things. OR if AAMC created a ranking process like match that would likely work a lot better.

 

[Kenken514]

I really think AAMC needs to refine this process. It is entirely not fair to students to CTE at a school just because that's the only acceptance they have - to the student who accepts and drops their WL position at a school they would rather go to and to the student who would have died to go to that school but won't get off the WL now because another student who didn't 100% want to go there had to CTE. It's entirely not fair to make students drop the CTE to gamble on a WL at their dream school (which frankly little to noone will do). Although an acceptance is an acceptance I feel like this entire process is taking away real choice from students after a certain point. I'm the type of person who won't settle because I'd feel worse settling than if I were rejected because that would just eat away at me.

It is a given that the start dates for schools vary alot - from early July to early september - so obviously schools who start much earlier need much earlier CTE deadlines. But why can't all schools just start in the same month?? So the CTE deadlines can be a few days apart rather than an entire month apart because a lot of things can happen in a month. I feel like that would fix a lot of things. OR if AAMC created a ranking process like match that would likely work a lot better.

Ugh why can’t they just do a match process!!!!

 

[rdyotz]

I really think AAMC needs to refine this process. It is entirely not fair to students to CTE at a school just because that's the only acceptance they have - to the student who accepts and drops their WL position at a school they would rather go to and to the student who would have died to go to that school but won't get off the WL now because another student who didn't 100% want to go there had to CTE. It's entirely not fair to make students drop the CTE to gamble on a WL at their dream school (which frankly little to noone will do). Although an acceptance is an acceptance I feel like this entire process is taking away real choice from students after a certain point. I'm the type of person who won't settle because I'd feel worse settling than if I were rejected because that would just eat away at me.

It is a given that the start dates for schools vary alot - from early July to early september - so obviously schools who start much earlier need much earlier CTE deadlines. But why can't all schools just start in the same month?? So the CTE deadlines can be a few days apart rather than an entire month apart because a lot of things can happen in a month. I feel like that would fix a lot of things. OR if AAMC created a ranking process like match that would likely work a lot better.

Really? Think about how unfair it would be to applicants that have no acceptances that would now have to wait longer for you to possibly change your commitment at the last minute. At least they can have some closure knowing the class is officially full. This process is an attempt to stop having people get accepted to school the day classes begin.

Committing allows the schools to set their class so that they can actually start preparing for the new year, rather than being thrust into something the day of. I personally like being able to plan ahead and get things set. I would argue schools have the same thought process.

Making every school start in the same month would be possible, but would require massive changes (to curriculum, financial aid, admissions, housing, etc) and is not feasible. Doing a match process is potentially feasible, but then no one would know whether they were accepted to ANY school until June (yes, there are still some interviews in May). Then, there would likely be some unfilled seats at schools requiring last minute interviews / acceptances a la SOAP. You could make more massive changes and force schools to change their entire admissions process so everyone has the same interview days and screw applicants over that way....

Any system used will have pros and cons. Best to just deal with it.

 

[CinnamonA]

Really? Think about how unfair it would be to applicants that have no acceptances that would now have to wait longer for you to possibly change your commitment at the last minute. At least they can have some closure knowing the class is officially full. This process is an attempt to stop having people get accepted to school the day classes begin.

Committing allows the schools to set their class so that they can actually start preparing for the new year, rather than being thrust into something the day of. I personally like being able to plan ahead and get things set. I would argue schools have the same thought process.

Making every school start in the same month would be possible, but would require massive changes (to curriculum, financial aid, admissions, housing, etc) and is not feasible. Doing a match process is potentially feasible, but then no one would know whether they were accepted to ANY school until June (yes, there are still some interviews in May). Then, there would likely be some unfilled seats at schools requiring last minute interviews / acceptances a la SOAP. You could make more massive changes and force schools to change their entire admissions process so everyone has the same interview days and screw applicants over that way....

Any system used will have pros and cons. Best to just deal with it.

I mostly agree with all of this. The only change I’d make would be to move the April 30th deadline up to sometime in March. If schools are still interviewing into April (let alone May), there’s something seriously wrong with their admissions structure. No other professional/graduate program application cycles take over a year to give students a final decision. Setting more tiered dates for how many A’s you can hold earlier in the cycle might be better for everyone. Adcoms could gauge numbers more accurately, and waitlist movement could happen sooner. Sure, you could argue in some situations that schools may offer scholarships to those who wait, but what’s so different about April 30th versus March 31st if everyone has to comply? I’d suggest holding no more than 3As by January 31st. 2As by February 28th. 1 A by March 31st. CTE dates no later than June 15th.

 

[#wannabemd]

Really? Think about how unfair it would be to applicants that have no acceptances that would now have to wait longer for you to possibly change your commitment at the last minute. At least they can have some closure knowing the class is officially full. This process is an attempt to stop having people get accepted to school the day classes begin.

Committing allows the schools to set their class so that they can actually start preparing for the new year, rather than being thrust into something the day of. I personally like being able to plan ahead and get things set. I would argue schools have the same thought process.

Making every school start in the same month would be possible, but would require massive changes (to curriculum, financial aid, admissions, housing, etc) and is not feasible. Doing a match process is potentially feasible, but then no one would know whether they were accepted to ANY school until June (yes, there are still some interviews in May). Then, there would likely be some unfilled seats at schools requiring last minute interviews / acceptances a la SOAP. You could make more massive changes and force schools to change their entire admissions process so everyone has the same interview days and screw applicants over that way....

Any system used will have pros and cons. Best to just deal with it.

I think schools should then all have CTE dates within a closer time frame so students can have more clarity on their WL choices before then. I just think there is room for improvement. I agree that applicants with 0 acceptances shouldn't be in an unfair position either. I also agree that applicants who have an acceptance shouldn't have to settle just because of a deadline. I think there is definitely room for improvement so everyone is in a much less stressed out place. Imagine having to CTE to a private school thats 40k more expensive than your state school that you're WL at. That's a pretty big decision.

 

[rdyotz]

I mostly agree with all of this. The only change I’d make would be to move the April 30th deadline up to sometime in March. If schools are still interviewing into April (let alone May), there’s something seriously wrong with their admissions structure. No other professional/graduate program application cycles take over a year to give students a final decision. Setting more tiered dates for how many A’s you can hold earlier in the cycle might be better for everyone. Adcoms could gauge numbers more accurately, and waitlist movement could happen sooner. Sure, you could argue in some situations that schools may offer scholarships to those who wait, but what’s so different about April 30th versus March 31st if everyone has to comply? I’d suggest holding no more than 3As by January 31st. 2As by February 28th. 1 A by March 31st. CTE dates no later than June 15th.

The issue is not so much the dates, but the fact that few, if any, schools actually enforce those dates. Specifically the 3 acceptance one, as AMCAS does not even provide information to schools stating how many acceptances an applicant has. AMCAS should use hard deadlines and not recommendations and if applicants don't follow guidelines, schools should be required to rescind acceptances (the only fair way is to rescind every acceptance, otherwise how would you select which 3 schools keep acceptances?). Moving multiple acceptance deadline up to January will hurt applicants. Financial aid information is not given until much later, often due to not having operating budgets in place yet (fiscal year vs calendar year). Also, financial aid office is usually very busy at the beginning of an academic term ensuring all disbursements are paid and paperwork filled out.

Generally speaking, the longer the interview process is for a school, the more people that turn down acceptances at that school. Sure, they could only interview fewer students that are more likely to commit, but then schools (and applicants) lose out on a possibly good fit.

There definitely is an issue with a year long application process. Many graduate programs don't require an interview. Those programs that do use interviews do not have nearly the amount of applications (sure, there are probably some exceptions) of medical schools or, more importantly, the competitiveness. If you cut out interviews, the application season could be quick. However, then you deal with getting applicants that look great on paper, but would not make good physicians. Conversely, you lose those with low stats that would become awesome physicians. Also, I enjoyed being able to tour facilities and get a feel for the school vs the one virtual interview I had.

Note: I probably should not write in regards to graduate programs as I only have a basic understanding of non-MD programs through speaking with friends.

I think schools should then all have CTE dates within a closer time frame so students can have more clarity on their WL choices before then. I just think there is room for improvement. I agree that applicants with 0 acceptances shouldn't be in an unfair position either. I also agree that applicants who have an acceptance shouldn't have to settle just because of a deadline. I think there is definitely room for improvement so everyone is in a much less stressed out place. Imagine having to CTE to a private school thats 40k more expensive than your state school that you're WL at. That's a pretty big decision.

The current system was seen as an improvement vs the old system. Every time an 'improvement' is made, it fixes some things and breaks others. There is no way to fully anticipate how any further changes will affect applicants.

No doubt financials are a big issue. In-state schools typically see less waitlist movement for in-state seats for the very reason of lower tuition. In my state, they only need 50% IS students and try to get more OOS to bring in more cash. There are a lot of schools that don't begin sending financial aid information out until the deadlines to limit how many packages they have to make to people that would withdraw anyways. This makes me think that many schools would delay financial aid information even longer.


TL/DR: Any change to the system will bring other complaints (even if changes are improvements in every way), people will always find something to be upset about.

Sorry, I feel like my post has rambled structureless for too long.

Background for transparency: I was rejected at my dream school (reach) post-I. Rejected from state schools (pre-I and post-I). Accepted to a school across the country that offered me in-state tuition, which I am currently PTE due to the $25k / year lower tuition while on 3 waitlists.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Ugh why can’t they just do a match process!!!!

How will you deal with financial aid and merit scholarships if there is a match process?