5 MD waitlists and 1 DO acceptance

[gyngyn]

I was always under the impression to not send LOIs but I guess it is institutional dependent! @gyngyn @Goro

There is only one instance in which an "LOI" might verifiably help the applicant. It is when they are holding an MD acceptance at a "better" or cheaper school and would prefer the waitlist school. Even this will only work after waitlist movement has started, at a school with an unranked list where the applicant is reachable, though. If a school specifically asks that you not send updates it is harmful. If they welcome them, have at it, but they are unlikely to have a more positive effect than those buttons on the elevator that purport to close the doors. It is designed to make you feel like you are doing something!

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[Goro]

Some schools specifically say "do NOT send LOIs. Only a few seem to welcome them, based upon the posts I've seen here. The wise gyngyn despises them, and they do nothing for an applicant at this school.

I wouldn't put Gtown in the same caliber as Yale, or IcahnSOM either.

I was always under the impression to not send LOIs but I guess it is institutional dependent! @gyngyn @Goro

 

[Grace184]

Some schools specifically say "do NOT send LOIs. Only a few seem to welcome them, based upon the posts I've seen here. The wise gyngyn despises them, and they do nothing for an applicant at this school.

I wouldn't put Gtown in the same caliber as Yale, or IcahnSOM either.

Haha yea gyngyn does disdain them!!

 

[itsogre]

guys LOIs are school dependent. KCOM and a school in Cali is n=2. Telling someone to disregard them at specific schools might be like an application suicide. OP, look through school specific threads for past application cycles and see if waitlisters were getting in after sending in LOIs. Icahn and Yale might not be feasible at this point, but both SUNYs definitely are (especially Upstate). I would send an LOI there.

pros for Touro-Harlem:
- no uncertainty and you get to relax before school.
- close to home.
- pretty good match list and regional preference in the tri-state (you will likely stay home for residency).
- girls love OMM

cons:
- probably have to take both COMLEX and USMLE Step 1.
- DO bias is strong in certain NYC residencies that aren't literal sweatshops filled with IMGs/FMGs.

Stay on those waitlists OP.

 

[PugsAndHugs]

- girls love OMM

 

[smooki]

pros for Touro-Harlem:
- no uncertainty and you get to relax before school.
- close to home.
- pretty good match list and regional preference in the tri-state (you will likely stay home for residency).
- girls love OMM

cons:
- probably have to take both COMLEX and USMLE Step 1.
- DO bias is strong in certain NYC residencies that aren't literal sweatshops filled with IMGs/FMGs.

Stay on those waitlists OP.

Yea I'm staying on the waitlists and hoping for the best. The sunys mentioned they don't want anyone to call and ask for updates or ask about status. To me, calling the admin office to express my interest without any other md acceptances and hanging up is useless lol. Telling them about my DO acceptance I feel is also useless. Also I'm a girl lol

Your pros and cons is pretty on point with what's in my mind. The last part I'm not sure about just because o haven't heard that much about it. I'll google some more about NYC bias in those certain residencies. Thanks for your response btw

 

[itsogre]

Yea I'm staying on the waitlists and hoping for the best. The sunys mentioned they don't want anyone to call and ask for updates or ask about status. To me, calling the admin office to express my interest without any other md acceptances and hanging up is useless lol. Telling them about my DO acceptance I feel is also useless. Also I'm a girl lol

guess sending LOIs to SUNYs would be counter-productive... I didn't know that they disallow LOI, thank you for correcting me.

There isn't much you can do now except to wait and make contingency plans.

Are you limited geographically? I understand the desire to stay local, but if the second AMCAS cycle isn't out of the question (except that you need to submit right now), you should apply to schools that are geographically distinct.

mmm I'm pretty sure guys would appreciate OMM... I need to find an OMM practitioner to pop my back (not sure what the proper terminology is lol). I'm going to go to the OMM clinic offered by Rowan hopefully, but it's a really bad commute for me.... if anyone knows an OMM-practicing DO in north nj/jersey city or the 5 boroughs, I will literally worship at your feet.

Don't tell the MD schools about your DO acceptance. My reasoning is that because you applied DO, you like the distinct DO philosophy/unique character (in theory at least), and the MD schools would not want someone who is flip-floppy on philosophy of medicine and is pursuing the "D" only for physician compensation.

 

[smooki]

guess sending LOIs to SUNYs would be counter-productive... I didn't know that they disallow LOI, thank you for correcting me.

There isn't much you can do now except to wait and make contingency plans.

Are you limited geographically? I understand the desire to stay local, but if the second AMCAS cycle isn't out of the question (except that you need to submit right now), you should apply to schools that are geographically distinct.

mmm I'm pretty sure guys would appreciate OMM... I need to find an OMM practitioner to pop my back (not sure what the proper terminology is lol). I'm going to go to the OMM clinic offered by Rowan hopefully, but it's a really bad commute for me.... if anyone knows an OMM-practicing DO in north nj/jersey city or the 5 boroughs, I will literally worship at your feet.

They don't disallow LOI. It's just that in my situation, it isn't a significant LOI because of my no acceptances. It would not mean a whole lot because I would surely matriculate there if accepted. Also downstate asks that students refrain from contacting admins about app status and to just wait. What I did, however, was pay for and send all 5 of my transcripts and complete all the prereqs of admission on their checklist so that I'm ready to go if they extend an acceptance. Surely that shows I am interested.

About geography, family is important to me and I really wish to stay in-state. Could I have applied to other states? Yes, and I probably should have because it would have increased my chances and maybe resulted in an MD. But I do not like to look in the past and at this point in time, I have a DO acceptance. So between waiting a year, reapplying w/o changes in my application/possibly moving far away and accepting a seat at a NYC DO school a train ride away, 5-10 minutes away from both of my sisters' current colleges, and near my support system? I will take the latter. I hope my experience helps someone reading this that may be in a similar situation now/will be in the future!

 

[itsogre]

They don't disallow LOI. It's just that in my situation, it isn't a significant LOI because of my no acceptances. It would not mean a whole lot because I would surely matriculate there if accepted. Also downstate asks that students refrain from contacting admins about app status and to just wait. What I did, however, was pay for and send all 5 of my transcripts and complete all the prereqs of admission on their checklist so that I'm ready to go if they extend an acceptance. Surely that shows I am interested.

About geography, family is important to me and I really wish to stay in-state. Could I have applied to other states? Yes, and I probably should have because it would have increased my chances and maybe resulted in an MD. But I do not like to look in the past and at this point in time, I have a DO acceptance. So between waiting a year, reapplying w/o changes in my application/possibly moving far away and accepting a seat at a NYC DO school a train ride away, 5-10 minutes away from both of my sisters' current colleges, and near my support system? I will take the latter. I hope my experience helps someone reading this that may be in a similar situation now/will be in the future!

maybe this sounds trivial because it's said all the time on the forums, but I really believe from reading your posts that you will do great wherever you are. Update us with your outcome... really hoping for a Downstate acceptance for you. If it doesn't work out, you'll be an outstanding physician either way.

 

[smooki]

maybe this sounds trivial because it's said all the time on the forums, but I really believe from reading your posts that you will do great wherever you are. Update us with your outcome... really hoping for a Downstate acceptance for you. If it doesn't work out, you'll be an outstanding physician either way.

Thanks, I really appreciate that! That's very nice of you. I will most definitely update on here.

 

[Gandyy]

Yea top tier DO schools are indeed a good place to be in. Its better than a lot of other alternatives.

 

[fingerscrossedpremed]

I'd run with your DO acceptance. I was in the exact same boat and ultimately got rejected from the one MD school I interviewed at and got in to two DO schools. I really wanted to get into my state MD school because the tuition was cheaper. So I considered reapplying and talked about it with some of the physicians I shadowed. They all told me it was a chance to be a physician and that I should run with it.
Additionally, as long as the process of medical school and training is, I just really wanted to get the ball rolling. The down side is that we'll have to deal with OMM and taking the COMLEX and the USMLE (well, not every DO student, but I will) instead of only taking the USMLE and it can be more difficult to match into some specialties (but can be done nonetheless). Is it worth waiting around another year and gambling that you'll get an MD acceptance and being a year (or more) behind? My answer was no, and I'll happily be attending a DO school at the end of July.

 

[smooki]

I'd run with your DO acceptance. I was in the exact same boat and ultimately got rejected from the one MD school I interviewed at and got in to two DO schools. I really wanted to get into my state MD school because the tuition was cheaper. So I considered reapplying and talked about it with some of the physicians I shadowed. They all told me it was a chance to be a physician and that i should run with it.
Additonally, as long as the process of medical school and training is, I just really wanted to get the ball rolling. The down side is that we'll have to deal with OMM and taking the COMLEX and the USMLE (well, not ever DO student, but I will) instead of only taking the USMLE. But is it worth waiting around another year and gambling that you'll get an MD acceptance and being a year (or more) behind? My answer was no, and I'll happily be attending a DO school at the end of June.

Yea that's the conclusion I came to as well. That reapplying really is not what I want to do and don't feel I should pressure myself with stresses of another year of uncertainty. I'm sick of waiting and postponing my training to become a physician! That's fantastic news for you, wish you the best!

 

[fingerscrossedpremed]

Yea that's the conclusion I came to as well. That reapplying really is not what I want to do and don't feel I should pressure myself with stresses of another year of uncertainty. I'm sick of waiting and postponing my training to become a physician! That's fantastic news for you, wish you the best!

Thank you! Best of luck to you as well.

 

[mw18]

I wouldn't put Gtown in the same caliber as Yale, or IcahnSOM either.

Oh, no, I wasn't. I wasn't even being argumentative. I was just saying that I know there they have value because they tell you at interview there is no chance you come off the waitlist without one (she even breaks down the structure the letter needs to be in). The waitlists I found myself on said that they weren't ranked and they fill the class based on what you provided the class, or that you were ranked. So I didn't really think a letter saying I would go there would really change anything.

I can definitely see that what @gyngyn said makes the most sense. If a school would likely not take you off a waitlist because the assumption would be that you would prefer the school you're holding an acceptance to, you may need to make it clear your preferences lie elsewhere.

 

[JimmyB123]

write letter of interest (or whatever you call them) to your wait listed school

if you are interested in derm/surgery (any)/ophth/ gi/ rads or have strong regional preference for residency DONT go DO

inb4 people quote the 1-2 people with 270+ from their graduation class of 200 who match competitive specialty in bfe

Lol at quoting gi/gen surg/ radiology among the specialities that one shouldn't pursue as a DO

try again

 

[osteohack10]

Lol at quoting gi/gen surg/ radiology among the specialities that one shouldn't pursue as a DO

try again

I was going to say... I was always under the impression that going into something like gen surg as a DO was definitely feasible, but you have to be willing to work your butt off. I hadn't heard of there being a big stigma against DOs among the general surgery population.

 

[deleted158872]

I have been wait listed at:
Yale
SUNY upstate
IcahnSOM
SUNY downstate
Albany
NYCOM

and accepted at TouroCOM Harlem.

getting wailisted at awesome state schools but not accepted must be hard... .__.

 

[smooki]

getting wailisted at awesome state schools but not accepted must be hard... .__.

It's definitely stressful ill tell you that much