This would be a good place for it: Postbaccalaureate ProgramsIt's easy!
You just go into whatever forum you want to post it in (like this one) and start typing away in the Thread Title box between the sub forums and the sticky threads.
Thank you so much! It's PCOM-South Ga!
You got 4WLs (so >4 interviews). Why not just apply again with the same committee letter or ask them to update the date. Rules like these are annoying because you’re clearly competitive. So why are they making you wait?
I wouldn't mind doing that, but I don't think my app has sufficiently improved enough to make it worthwhile. The only things that have really changed are that I have now taught different courses besides the one I specified on my app, and will gain probably around 70 or so extra hours of nonclinical by the time May will come around (I had literally 0 on my current app.)
Were the other 4 decisions R’s or are you waiting on some? Statistically speaking, you are extremely likely to get in somewhere. I know it’s hard to not have an A though. Rooting for you.
Thanks, technically it's 3 Post-II Rs due to Drexel being quiet and all. Currently I am devastated by the silence which is funny since it being March. I should be stormed with pre-II Rs by now.
Add volume if possible. I would apply again this cycle considering if you got 6, there is clearly something about your app that stood out.
If you are on 5 waitlists, there is a high likelihood that you will be accepted off one. It would be in your best interest to prepare for reapplication until that happens.
You seem to have a pretty good handle on everything.
This will not help.
At the point when most schools will be motivated for a quick answer (at the end of the cycle) they will be able to see that you are holding no acceptances, thus it is gratuitous.
MD or DO? I ask because MD interviewing for the WL isn't really a thing, while it does seem to be one for DO. DO has a different business model that partially relies on accepting a bunch of people early and grabbing large non-refundable deposits, all the while knowing that they are going to lose a lot of those people later in the cycle to MD programs. This causes them to very liberally dish out As early, filling the class with the intention of going to the WL later to replace these folks. That requires interviewing for the WL later in the cycle.
I appreciate this KnightDoc. These are for MD schools. So I will just be patient and see how my future unfolds. I am extremely grateful for everything I have gotten so far.
It's tough but hang in there everyone!
A published paper is one of the most worthwhile updates a person can send.Also feeling the sting, only got 2 II as a reapplicant, with 1 WL and another pending decision
Do you think it would be worthwhile sending an update to the WL school? The WL email let us know that if we had any updates, we could add it to the portal. I think it's pretty significant (authorship on a paper accepted to one of the Lancet/NEJM/Nature/BMJ tier journal!!!). Either way, it did help ease the sting of the WL since I received both on the same day ahaha
Right there with you, 2 waitlists and 1 pending decision (no match in TMDSAS). I've been reaching out to med students who were on WL and got accepted in May and even June right after they reapplied, so anything's possible! All we can do is move forward at this pointHad 4 IIs and so far 2 waitlists, 1 R, and 1 pending decision (def not A though since all my schools were TMDSAS and I matched nowhere, so it could be a WL or R)
(((( Really unsure what I could improve on my app for next year besides some rewriting and interview prep. Worst part of it all is that 3 of the schools I interviewed at were absolute dream schools and it feels SO bad to have something you want to be dangled in your face but like just out of reach ya know? and i feel like me being on the WL puts me at a disadvantage at these schools if i need to reapply....
I'm sorry you feel this way. You got 6 interview invites, which means that the committees saw your potential. I am sure that, along with everyone else in this thread, you can become a great physician.Hello all, first time applicant here,,, was pretty proud of my app and had no red flags for LORs and interviews or anything... 6 IIs this cycle and so far 1R and 4 WL
Currently considering what to pull together for LOI and updates.... Is there any merit in sending intent to a school with more WL movement if I truly have no preference between my top choices? And are interest letters pointless if schools can just pull all intent from WL?
I don't even know what to do anymore and i feel like garbage and I'm so sad so many qualified people are being pushed aside bc of this stupid system. Anyone feel free to PM me if u want extra eyes to read over letters or anything
Hey man, I’ve been there. 517 MCAT 4.0 in a grad program- 4 IIs last cycle and didn’t get in anywhere. What I will say is that it’s possible you need to brush up your interviewing skills (which sucks to hear, but try ur best). I’d do a bunch of mock ones in the event you have to reapply.
You are young and clearly very competent to go to med school. There is a lot of time to get into school, and no one I know who takes a gap year really regrets it. Lean into wherever the things you can’t control take you, and do what you have to so you can get where you want to be. Good luck!
Schools over-interviewed last year due to concerns about yield that never materialized. The higher applicant numbers also contributed to the low waitlist movement. This year's waitlist movement should be better at most schools. Just my thoughts.
THIS^^^. Some, not all, schools increased IIs last year both in response to the huge increase in applications as well as to concern that yield would drop as top candidates hoarded IIs and As, since virtual IIs eliminated the cost of going on interviews. The concerns were overblown, and WL movement was the same as previous years. This only impacted people at schools that built a larger than normal WL (i.e., the movement was the same, but the odds of receiving a call were lower).
I feel like I see you on this thread a lot- can u back this up with some numbers doc?
Sure. Exactly what numbers would you like? I obviously don't have precise numbers for every school, but some schools like Pitt and Vanderbilt publicly announced last year that they were increasing the number of IIs due to the huge increase in applicants. Applications dropped back this year, and so did the number of IIs. You can go on school specific threads earlier this cycle and see the discussions yourself.
interesting analysis! 5 II's this time LOL, 3MD, 2 DO. MD: 1 WL, 1 Post-II R, 1 pending. DO: 2 WL (suspecting yield management, but who knows!)Sure. Exactly what numbers would you like? I obviously don't have precise numbers for every school, but some schools like Pitt and Vanderbilt publicly announced last year that they were increasing the number of IIs due to the huge increase in applicants. Applications dropped back this year, and so did the number of IIs. You can go on school specific threads earlier this cycle and see the discussions yourself.
As for the rest of your analysis, I will respond step by step and point out what you are missing.
1. Increase in apps making IIs harder to get. True, even with more IIs going out last year at some schools.
2. Increased ease of interviewing -> more people attending II's, Possible. Anecdotally people reported taking IIs tey would have turned down in the past, but this did not manifest in schools having massive drops in yield because they same people were grabbing IIs all over the country and not letting go.
3. Less people getting II's + More people attending II's -> fewer individual people holding multiple acceptances. NO! This is the fatal flaw in your analysis. The massive increase in apps making it harder to actually get an II did NOT mean less people received IIs. In fact, more people did, as some schools ramped up. But no school actually decreased the number of IIs.
Look at it like this -- the number of seats remained constant at around 22K. If fewer people were holding multiple As, that could only mean MORE people had a single A, since the number of As does not change. If WL movement did actually go down, that would only be because it was easier to get an initial A than in the past.
It didn't really happen. Every year, people look for a surge in WL movement. It never seems to come, like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin. The movement is pretty constant from year to year. Individual schools have wild swings, but, collectively, the movement doesn't vary a lot from year to year. Just go back and look at the SDN WL threads from the past 2 or 3 years.
As you specifically, you have nothing to justify. Last year was by far the most brutal in recent memory. 4 WLs made you statistically likely to receive 1 A, but, that was far from a guarantee and is highly dependent on just which schools you are waiting for. How are you doing this time around?
Resource stewardship occurs before an interview is offered!
It might go by a different name, but I HAVE anecdotally heard of people with high stats being placed on the WL, only to be later accepted off the WL. One possible explanation, at least at lower tier schools, would be that the adcom did not feel their interest was sincere post-II, and that this later changed, presumably after demonstrating the sincerity of the interest through the expected update/LOI dance.
High stats interviewees get put on the waitlist (and taken off) for all the usual reasons. Interviewing and then waitlisting strong candidates makes no fiscal sense and is the opposite of a sound recruitment move!
Thanks for the response. Wish the best for us.
got it, thank you for providing the context!
I think the answer is clear- hope for the best, prep to retake. Yeah, studying stinks but stats dont like, a 503 just isnt high enough for most schools. There are obv exceptions, and you can prob get into a DO school with a 503, but i'd retake to put yourself in the best spot.
