anyone else not have any acceptances yet?

[sarahl86]

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I can attest to the fact that applying after August is not the kiss of death. Actually, the ironic fact in my applications this cycle is that 2 of my 3 interviews are at schools where I submitted my primary on October 15th and at least at one of them, got pretty lucky with a not-too-late interview.

 

[Myuu]

I can attest to the fact that applying after August is not the kiss of death. Actually, the ironic fact in my applications this cycle is that 2 of my 3 interviews are at schools where I submitted my primary on October 15th and at least at one of them, got pretty lucky with a not-too-late interview.

Lucky as in acceptance or late-stage waitlisting?

I could say the same thing about last year (submitted a couple of days before the deadline in october, got interviews at UVA and WashU), but I didn't get off any of those waitlists...

 

[LizzyM]

The book "What to Expect When You are Expecting" has what it calls "The Best Odds Diet". This is to say that you might have a perfectly healthy baby if you eat hot dogs and twinkies every day of the week but the odds are best if you eat a diet of fresh, minimally processed foods with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables. (I think that some of the diet advice in that book - or at least in the edition published 18 years ago - was daft but I digress).

I think that the apply early (during June), 2 week turn around for secondaries, is the "best odds" advise for applicants.

Anecdotes are fine but go with the best odds.

 

[Handy388]

The book "What to Expect When You are Expecting" has what it calls "The Best Odds Diet". This is to say that you might have a perfectly healthy baby if you eat hot dogs and twinkies every day of the week but the odds are best if you eat a diet of fresh, minimally processed foods with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables. (I think that some of the diet advice in that book - or at least in the edition published 18 years ago - was daft but I digress).

I think that the apply early (during June), 2 week turn around for secondaries, is the "best odds" advise for applicants.

Anecdotes are fine but go with the best odds.

Go with LizzyM!

 

[sarahl86]

Lucky as in acceptance or late-stage waitlisting?

I could say the same thing about last year (submitted a couple of days before the deadline in october, got interviews at UVA and WashU), but I didn't get off any of those waitlists...

I'd say lucky as in I got an interview at NYMC at a somewhat competitive date: I have much better odds at the end of January than I do at the end of March or April. If it was lucky as in acceptance, I probably wouldn't be posting here in the first place 🙂

Just have to keep hoping that one of them will come through, I guess.

 

[slowbutsteady]

this is a perfect example of the unnecessary neuroticism that is perpetuated on SDN ....the "rule" as far as i heard it from my premed committee was that you should turn your secondaries around in two weeks
which is of course reasonable and i would strongly suggest sticking to that.

i find it hard to imagine that drexel or NYMC would waste their time interviewing someone with a 40 on the MCAT. it's not like you didn't get any interviews....you were given a shot at an instant acceptance at several top schools....the applying early argument is about getting interviews, once you get to the interview it's a whole different ball game and one that many people don't know how to excel at....the fact that you couldn't get a quick acceptance out of five interviews has nothing to do with when you turned in your application.

Again, at the risk of mixing it up with you again, where do you get this wisdom? You are making authoritative statements with no data whatsoever except your own application process.

You are just making this stuff up. The "SDN paranoia" of which you speak is based on lots and lots of experiences causing a "collective wisdom" to emerge.

Here's a thought: It is very hard to get into medical school. Do everything you possibly can to maximize your chances. Earlier is better.

Listen to LizzyM folks!!!!!!

 

[229141]

Me.

My last interview (yesterday), out of the 10 of us, about half had acceptances.

Are you really 18? I think that is the ONLY think hurting you...but DAMN that is so impressive you have came so far at a young age like that..flawless app nearly.

The only reason I mention this is because I know a guy who had a 3.99 and 34 mcat or so and he got turned down...why? They straight told him he was too young.. Makes me sick. They also accepted a guy who was 30 with a like a 3.2 and 28 MCAT..LOL!

 

[235009]

Again, at the risk of mixing it up with you again, where do you get this wisdom? You are making authoritative statements with no data whatsoever except your own application process.

You are just making this stuff up. The "SDN paranoia" of which you speak is based on lots and lots of experiences causing a "collective wisdom" to emerge.

Here's a thought: It is very hard to get into medical school. Do everything you possibly can to maximize your chances. Earlier is better.

Listen to LizzyM folks!!!!!!

as i stated in my post, that "wisdom" is based on the advice of my premed committee (at a top 10 ivy).

as for listening to LizzyM:

I think that the apply early (during June), 2 week turn around for secondaries, is the "best odds" advise for applicants.

thanks for playing.

 

[slowbutsteady]

as i stated in my post, that "wisdom" is based on the advice of my premed committee (at a top 10 ivy).

as for listening to LizzyM:



thanks for playing.

What is a "top 10 ivy?" I assure you that no one who attends an Ivy League institution refers to it as that.

OK, I am ready:

I call troll on the Skinman!!!!

Let the games begin.

 

[student1799]

I can attest to the fact that applying after August is not the kiss of death. Actually, the ironic fact in my applications this cycle is that 2 of my 3 interviews are at schools where I submitted my primary on October 15th and at least at one of them, got pretty lucky with a not-too-late interview.

Maybe applying early is not as game-changing as some people here on SDN make it out to be, but I don't think you can argue that submitting late is more advantageous.

Submitting your applications early can only help you, while submitting late can DEFINITELY hurt you.

I think the truth is that it's best to apply early, but "your mileage may vary." It did for me: I submitted AMCAS in July, but registered for the July 8th MCAT, and therefore had to pick my schools based on my projected MCAT score from practice exams. Unfortunately, when I took the real test, I had very bad nerves during the PS section, didn't finish all the questions, and my PS score turned out very low (4 points below my practice average). I retook the MCAT in August, but the exact same thing happened the second time.

I had no choice but to regroup and add a whole bunch of schools to my app which might be friendlier to someone with a low PS score. I added 12 schools on October 10th, and I've gotten interviews at 6 of them. (Not one interview from the original 15 schools I applied to in July.) I just got my first acceptance a couple of days ago, and I'm hopeful that I can get another. (I still have one interview left, one decision that won't come until April, and I'm on 3 waitlists.)

Would I advise anyone to do this as a deliberate strategy? Absolutely not--I had to go to "Plan B" when things turned out very differently than I had expected. Knowing what I do now, I think I would have had a much easier time if I had applied earlier, even with the bad MCAT score. But I just wanted to point out that it IS possible to get into med school, even if you can't apply in June.

 

[Tiare208]

What is a "top 10 ivy?" I assure you that no one who attends an Ivy League institution refers to it as that.

OK, I am ready:

I call troll on the Skinman!!!!

Let the games begin.

Whoa now. He was actually right. LizzyM does NOT agree with what most people have been saying (2 DAY turn around instead of 2 weeks and June 4 instead of "some time in June"). Sorry that I'm too lazy to go and find the quote again. LizzyM advocates being on top of things but not neurotic. 2 weeks is enough time to actually edit your secondaries and to really think about those essays. Editing is important. Thinking is even more important.

 

[235009]

What is a "top 10 ivy?" I assure you that no one who attends an Ivy League institution refers to it as that.

"top 10 ivy" is an ivy league that is ranked in the top 10 in US news ranking...so basically Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. You're right, noone does refer to it as that and I never used that term until I got to SDN and saw someone use it on their MDapps to preserve anonymity and i liked it so i adopted it.

stop taking everything so personally. you know you don't HAVE to disagree with EVERYTHING i say.

 

[quirks]

I think what some people are trying to say is yes, apply as early as you can, and try to turn in your secondaries within about two weeks, however, if it's July and you haven't turned in your primary, or it's been three weeks since you got that secondary, don't freak out yet! All is not lost! Yes your chances are not as good as they would have been, but you still have a shot.

So for those of you planning on applying to matriculate in 2010, apply as early as possible for the best odds. But don't have a heart attack in July if you're not done.

 

[Tiare208]

I think what some people are trying to say is yes, apply as early as you can, and try to turn in your secondaries within about two weeks, however, if it's July and you haven't turned in your primary, or it's been three weeks since you got that secondary, don't freak out yet! All is not lost! Yes your chances are not as good as they would have been, but you still have a shot.

So for those of you planning on applying to matriculate in 2010, apply as early as possible for the best odds. But don't have a heart attack in July if you're not done.

APPLAUSE! A reasonable solution.

 

[slowbutsteady]

"top 10 ivy" is an ivy league that is ranked in the top 10 in US news ranking...so basically Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. You're right, noone does refer to it as that and I never used that term until I got to SDN and saw someone use it on their MDapps to preserve anonymity and i liked it so i adopted it.

stop taking everything so personally. you know you don't HAVE to disagree with EVERYTHING i say.

ow, ow, ow, your caps hurt my eyes. ow.

and yes, I must disagree with everything you say. You are my SDN nemesis!!!

damn you, Skin!!!!!!!!

 

[235009]

I think what some people are trying to say is yes, apply as early as you can, and try to turn in your secondaries within about two weeks, however, if it's July and you haven't turned in your primary, or it's been three weeks since you got that secondary, don't freak out yet! All is not lost! Yes your chances are not as good as they would have been, but you still have a shot.

So for those of you planning on applying to matriculate in 2010, apply as early as possible for the best odds. But don't have a heart attack in July if you're not done.

👍

this is a good way to put it. i wasn't trying to say that i didn't aim to apply in early june....of course i did, but stuff happens! i'm just trying to say that you shouldn't freak out (as most people tend to do on here) if your application is submitted in July rather than June. You also shouldn't pretend that submitting your application in July or August was the reason you got rejected...that way you will become complacent and set yourself up for failure in the next cycle by not seeking out and tackling the real problems in your application.

 

[scarletgirl777]

"top 10 ivy" is an ivy league that is ranked in the top 10 in US news ranking...so basically Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. You're right, noone does refer to it as that and I never used that term until I got to SDN and saw someone use it on their MDapps to preserve anonymity and i liked it so i adopted it.

stop taking everything so personally. you know you don't HAVE to disagree with EVERYTHING i say.

The problem is that "top 10 Ivy" makes me think "Columbia" becasue otherwise you would say "HYP," or just be really broad and say "Ivy" or "top 20."

 

[slowbutsteady]

The problem is that "top 10 Ivy" makes me think "Columbia" becasue otherwise you would say "HYP," or just be really broad and say "Ivy" or "top 20."

hahahahahaha!!!!!! exactly.

Hmmm, I wonder where Skin goes to school???

 

[Myuu]

Can we, uh, get back on topic?

Thanks.

 

[majahops]

Been meaning to ask if you're single? 😍

The book "What to Expect When You are Expecting" has what it calls "The Best Odds Diet". This is to say that you might have a perfectly healthy baby if you eat hot dogs and twinkies every day of the week but the odds are best if you eat a diet of fresh, minimally processed foods with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables. (I think that some of the diet advice in that book - or at least in the edition published 18 years ago - was daft but I digress).

I think that the apply early (during June), 2 week turn around for secondaries, is the "best odds" advise for applicants.

Anecdotes are fine but go with the best odds.

 

[Raryn]

I'm more of a "chicken came first" type of person myself. which side of the argument does that correspond to? 😀

Evolutionarily, the egg had to have come first. 😉

The final mutation that "transitioned" (gotta draw the line somewhere) the "chicken-like ancestor" to the modern chicken must have happened in gametogenesis (to be passed on), and that gamete became the first (chicken) egg. Only later did it hatch into the first chicken.

But thats just me being silly 😉

 

[Slade]

Evolutionarily, the egg had to have come first. 😉

The final mutation that "transitioned" (gotta draw the line somewhere) the "chicken-like ancestor" to the modern chicken must have happened in gametogenesis (to be passed on), and that gamete became the first (chicken) egg. Only later did it hatch into the first chicken.

But thats just me being silly 😉

👍

 

[majahops]

No, seriously though, YES the egg had to have come first. I always wonder whether we are supposed to consider that question literally though? Am I missing something? It seems too obvious as literally stated... hmm

Evolutionarily, the egg had to have come first. 😉

The final mutation that "transitioned" (gotta draw the line somewhere) the "chicken-like ancestor" to the modern chicken must have happened in gametogenesis (to be passed on), and that gamete became the first (chicken) egg. Only later did it hatch into the first chicken.

But thats just me being silly 😉

 

[Slade]

hmm, but then there's the argument: well the change could simply have been a spontaneous gene mutation in an adult "chicken-like ancestor" which caused said ancestor to "lay" its gametes instead of incubating them in its body (as does a mammal). hence the chicken came before the egg. maybe? 🙂

 

[majahops]

Well as the environment in which the offspring mature (e.g. an egg, da tummy, etc...) changes considerably, I would assume that the organisms adult form changes considerably... The development of the egg probably didn't go from inside da tummy (sorry love that phrase) to a full-fledged egg in one generation... yet we CAN say that the chicken "egg" (and the adult form of the chicken) has been reasonably stable for as long as written history at least...

so we can argue that the species we know as the chicken is an egg-laying species and that any ancestor that laid something other than an egg was of another, non-chicken, species. so that final mutation which finally culminated the fully-formed "chicken egg" as we know it (not colorwise, but shape and texture wise) would have been in the sex cells of the parent, which was not technically a chicken itself, but gave birth to an egg-laying chicken that resulted from the mutation in the parents sex cells...

WOW, I just reasoned my way OUT of my original argument that the egg came first. Here I've concluded that the chicken came first.

but then im totally ignoring the issue of viability and how this would make the necessary analysis much more complex. ahhhh im brain dead right now

... even though it's late and im not thinking straight, I've gained an appreciation for why this is the age old question.

 

[student1799]

Or you could just say, "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny." May not answer the question but hey, it sounds good.

 

[WashMe]

You guys ever heard this before?

"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg." (Samuel Butler, I think)

Sort of an interesting perspective...

 

[Handy388]

how is babby formed? will we learn that in med school?

 

[starfishprime]

how is babby formed? will we learn that in med school?

I think that's what the OB/Gyn rotation is for.

 

[slowbutsteady]

Can we, uh, get back on topic?

Thanks.

Why aren't you telling the chicken/egg people to get back on topic?

Not that I want them to, their discussion is interesting.

But you have a double standard.

Leave us alone and don't be so bossy.

 

[Raryn]

hmm, but then there's the argument: well the change could simply have been a spontaneous gene mutation in an adult "chicken-like ancestor" which caused said ancestor to "lay" its gametes instead of incubating them in its body (as does a mammal). hence the chicken came before the egg. maybe? 🙂

The chickens ancestors (almost surely) all laid eggs instead of incubating them in its body. The development of the placenta happened long after the bird/reptile and mammal lineages diverged. AFAIK, only mammals, some sharks, and a couple snakes have live birth and don't lay eggs. I'd be willing to bet that its an example of convergent evolution, and that everyones ancestors laid eggs. Land creatures (by necessity) have internal fertilization, but almost no one has internal development.

I stand by my statement that the egg came first. Mutation during gametogenesis is the only possibly (reasonable) explanation of the first "chicken egg", and that egg hatches into the first chicken.

 

[majahops]

Agreed. I was responding based on the premise that it went from placental --> egg presented in the previous post, as opposed to egg --> placental... But of course, evidence strongly suggests that the latter is more plausible.

Although, in fairness, there have certainly been transitions from egg --> placental --> egg --> placental --> egg (and several phases in between placental and egg, e.g. amphibians, etc) as environmental conditions pressured the evolution of organisms back and forth. So, it's POSSIBLE that the chicken was at the evolutionary tail end of that multi-stage transition (i.e. the placental-->egg transition)... but in science it's much easier to deal with "ideal types," which in this case would be the egg-->placental transition, particularly since there is no strong evidence in the case of the chicken to suggest otherwise.

So again, I agree, Raryn.

The chickens ancestors (almost surely) all laid eggs instead of incubating them in its body. The development of the placenta happened long after the bird/reptile and mammal lineages diverged. AFAIK, only mammals, some sharks, and a couple snakes have live birth and don't lay eggs. I'd be willing to bet that its an example of convergent evolution, and that everyones ancestors laid eggs. Land creatures (by necessity) have internal fertilization, but almost no one has internal development.

I stand by my statement that the egg came first. Mutation during gametogenesis is the only possibly (reasonable) explanation of the first "chicken egg", and that egg hatches into the first chicken.

 

[ICmyFuture]

I love the chicken and egg debate, oh yeah, some cockroaches have live birth too fyi

 

[Myuu]

Why aren't you telling the chicken/egg people to get back on topic?

Not that I want them to, their discussion is interesting.

But you have a double standard.

Leave us alone and don't be so bossy.

Oh, I get it. Since I posted after your last, I'm clearly only talking to you. Defensive much?

 

[Slade]

back on topic, anyone from this thread heard anything positive?

 

[hoya09]

I just want to give my best wishes to all of you still waiting... I hope you hear something soon!!

 

[Raryn]

back on topic, anyone from this thread heard anything positive?

I'd rather think about chickens.

 

[slowbutsteady]

Oh, I get it. Since I posted after your last, I'm clearly only talking to you. Defensive much?

i don't even remember you or your screen name.

self-obsessed much?

and hey, get back on topic. (hint: the topic is not YOU.)

 

[bndbckhmlvr768]

Have you guys without acceptances tried writing letters of intent/interest to the schools you're waitlisted at? Personally, I would recommend specifically addressing them to the dean of admissions. I was on pre-interview hold at a school, and I sent the Dean of admissions a couple of update letters. I just received an interview invite from said school today. I don't know if my letters helped, but I doubt they hurt my chances.

Also, as a side note, the chicken/egg discussion was interesting. What wasn't so interesting were the little arguments that slowbutsteady kept instigating. Usually, I avoid getting involved in these little, immature skirmishes, but this one was just incredibly hard to ignore.

 

[Raryn]

Have you guys without acceptances tried writing letters of intent/interest to the schools you're waitlisted at? Personally, I would recommend specifically addressing them to the dean of admissions. I was on pre-interview hold at a school, and I sent the Dean of admissions a couple of update letters. I just received an interview invite from said school today. I don't know if my letters helped, but I doubt they hurt my chances.

Also, as a side note, the chicken/egg discussion was interesting. What wasn't so interesting were the little arguments that slowbutsteady kept instigating. Usually, I avoid getting involved in these little, immature skirmishes, but this one was just incredibly hard to ignore.

I sent update/interest letters to the various schools though I addressed them to <schoolname> Admissions Committee.

 

[megamega]

👍

this is a good way to put it. i wasn't trying to say that i didn't aim to apply in early june....of course i did, but stuff happens! i'm just trying to say that you shouldn't freak out (as most people tend to do on here) if your application is submitted in July rather than June. You also shouldn't pretend that submitting your application in July or August was the reason you got rejected...that way you will become complacent and set yourself up for failure in the next cycle by not seeking out and tackling the real problems in your application.

I just want to add that applying too early may hurt you. This is because some schools give early applicants, early interviews in October, but the Adcoms don't meet till December, so your interviewer may have forgotten many of your strong points by the time he/she presents you to the Adcom. So, if you apply later, you can get a November, December, or January interview and be presented to the Adcom a few weeks later, so your interviewer can present you while you're fresh in his/her mind. So, I think applying late helped me a lot.

 

[NotAndrew]

I just want to add that applying too early may hurt you. This is because some schools give early applicants, early interviews in October, but the Adcoms don't meet till December, so your interviewer may have forgotten many of your strong points by the time he/she presents you to the Adcom. So, if you apply later, you can get a November, December, or January interview and be presented to the Adcom a few weeks later, so your interviewer can present you while you're fresh in his/her mind. So, I think applying late helped me a lot.

That is cigol. A lot of schools are already accepting people in October. It does not matter how great you are if the class is already filled.

 

[slowbutsteady]

Have you guys without acceptances tried writing letters of intent/interest to the schools you're waitlisted at? Personally, I would recommend specifically addressing them to the dean of admissions. I was on pre-interview hold at a school, and I sent the Dean of admissions a couple of update letters. I just received an interview invite from said school today. I don't know if my letters helped, but I doubt they hurt my chances.

Also, as a side note, the chicken/egg discussion was interesting. What wasn't so interesting were the little arguments that slowbutsteady kept instigating. Usually, I avoid getting involved in these little, immature skirmishes, but this one was just incredibly hard to ignore.

ouch, unfair.

my "skirmishes" were just my effort to stop arrogant people from giving bad advice on this thread. Like: "applying early is not necessary cuz see i got in and i didn't apply early." No one struggling with this process is helped by that kind of advice.

not that i recommend doing it, but if you read the whole thread, i don't think i was responsible for the sidetracking. (albeit, i did take the bait a few times.)

On a slightly different note, why is everyone so obsessed with avoiding a few side discussions and rants every now and then? Last cycle, this happened a lot and the mods usually let it go unless it was abusive or foul. These forums get terribly dull without a little excitement once in a while.

How many "can i get in with 2 Cs," "who should i ask for an LOR," "X v. Y school," "is it too late to get an interview" threads can you read? They become incredibly repetitive.

answers to above:

1. yes, get As from now on

2. a person who knows you well and likes you

3. location and money (then prestige)

4. though interviews are winding down it is never too late until it's over

 

[thailandluv]

Also another question.. If at an interview, your interviewer asks, "Do you have any other acceptances".. Should you be honest? or would it look like youre a big donk!! I have a late interview coming up at my top top choice, and I dont know how to answer that question...

🙂

I think you can be honest. Just say, yes I do have other acceptances. But, this school is my top choice because ... (tell them why you think the school is a good fit for you).

 

[mbe36]

Just got my first waitlist.

PLUS, I am a re-applicant and it was my only interview...

 

[Myuu]

Just got my first waitlist.

PLUS, I am a re-applicant and it was my only interview...

Letter of interest/update!!🙁

 

[Tiare208]

Just got my first waitlist.

PLUS, I am a re-applicant and it was my only interview...

Did they tell you roughly where you are on the waitlist? It may not be as dire as you think.

 

[ised187]

I think you can be honest. Just say, yes I do have other acceptances. But, this school is my top choice because ... (tell them why you think the school is a good fit for you).

My concern is that I have NOT 🙂o🙁) been accepted by any other school. And I am not on any waitlists. So this is my last shot for this cycle. So how would I address the "Other med schools?" question?

 

[RoadRunner17]

Applying broadly is not a joke. Two of the schools I've interviewed at most recently were schools that I added after I had already submitted my primary application, and considered somewhat long shots because they were public schools that interview relatively few OOS students.

As for myself, I submitted my AMCAS in mid-July, turned around my secondaries within a week, was complete at most of my schools in late-August, with a couple more in early September (after adding them to round out my list of schools). It would not have helped me to apply any earlier because my committee letter was not released until early-August.

Applying very early and applying very broadly will not guarantee you application success, but it will most certainly increase the odds that you find application success. You have to deliver on your end of the bargain in the interview and the rest of the process that you control.

 

[chiz2kul]

Applying broadly is not a joke. Two of the schools I've interviewed at most recently were schools that I added after I had already submitted my primary application, and considered somewhat long shots because they were public schools that interview relatively few OOS students.

As for myself, I submitted my AMCAS in mid-July, turned around my secondaries within a week, was complete at most of my schools in late-August, with a couple more in early September (after adding them to round out my list of schools). It would not have helped me to apply any earlier because my committee letter was not released until early-August.

Applying very early and applying very broadly will not guarantee you application success, but it will most certainly increase the odds that you find application success. You have to deliver on your end of the bargain in the interview and the rest of the process that you control.

QFT👍